The Real Chunin Exam: Dokuja Cronicles
by Shindou Uchiha
Summary: This is what really happens in the forest of death; a new figure emerges. Read and review please! I don't leave many authors notes at the beggining, so I'm counting on you to review!
1. Chapter 1

Naruto: The Real Chunin Exam Saga…

Chapter One: A New Adversary

You may think that you know the Chunin exam fully, but that is just a cover-up story. Here is what really happened at the Forest of Death….

On there way back to the Central Tower, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata sense a threat near them.

"Hey, everyone stop for a second". Kiba said to his teammates as a warning.

"What is it?" Shino replied.

"Is something wrong, Kiba?" Hinata said, concerned.

"Something's up ahead and it doesn't look good."Kiba insisted. "Hinata, can you tell me what is about twenty meters north?"

"Right". When she activated her Byakugan she saw an unusual figure by a tree, attempting to start a cooking fire when suddenly the enemy Sand ninja squad came from within the forest. "There is a squad approaching an alone ninja about seventeen meters north by northeast. It appears the squad is about to attack. We have to stop them!"

"Man, Hinata." Kiba implied. "I never have seen you so enthusiastic before. Whatever gotten into you is something pretty good. C'mon, Akamaru!"

Akamaru jumped on his head and howled as they jumped forth through the trees. It only took them a minute or two before they arrived at the scene. Then they saw everything clearly. The squad was made of Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, but they didn't know the other figure. He was about five foot five, medium build, and a black mask with red, eye-like shapes. The suit he was wearing was also black and had a red scorpion symbol. He also had an unusual sword on his back. This sword had two blades side by side. None of the others knew what this man was capable of. All they knew was they shouldn't mess with him until they had more information about him.

"Now that were finally acquainted," Gaara said. "Hand over your scrolls and I won't kill you".

"I already told you," The unknown man said. "I don't know what you're talking about. And the name's Dokuja, by the way."

"I won't need to know your name when I'm about to kill you".

"I'd like to see you try it".

"This is bad," Kankuro said to Temari. "If Gaara takes this guy on, he may throw off the whole plan. But it doesn't look like were stopping him anytime soon".

"We'll just need to play it out and hope for the best". Temari replied. "Besides, it's just one guy; he'll be done in a few seconds".

_Man, this kid is insane! _Kiba thought to himself. _He should know not to mess with that guy; AT LEAST that much._

"Look, just get this damn thing straight here!!" Dokuja shouted, enraged. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will do what I have to".

"Then why are you still standing there?" Gaara said almost instantly. "Come."

"You're going to regret this" Dokuja said, while drawing his sword. The blades were a beady, dark purple color with a black handle. Then, all of a sudden the blades started moving from the handle. Then the blades shot out in an instant witch were linked to large, Arabian-like chains! "Prepare yourself, because you are going to perish here!!"

Everyone stood stunned at the sight of the swords might. This may be the most terrifying moment in the entire Chunin exam thus far!!!


	2. Gaara vs Dokuja

"I can sense your desperation and bloodlust," Dokuja said, with his chained blades flailing about above him. "You fell like running away as fast as you can, am I right?"

"I'm afraid you have it all wrong. I never run away from anything. I always prevail in any fight you could ever imagine. I couldn't care less about fear. All you are is another worthless soul. Now, let me feel alive!!!" Gaara removed the cork from his gourd as the sand spewed out quickly. Both Gaara and Dokuja started charging chakra and prepared for an all out war.

Gaara made the first move. His sand shot straight at his adversary and landed on a head-on blow. Dokuja never saw it coming and didn't have enough time to move as he flew back into the nearest tree. "I never thought you could control sand," Dokuja said, wheezing. "I guess this will be a challenge after all…. I couldn't have guessed you of all people… to possess such power."

"There are a lot of things about me that you will never understand."Gaara replied. "You simply don't have enough time left to think of what is possible in my life. Now, Sand Burial!!!!" Gaara's attack flew through the air in an instant; witch caved in Dokuja inside a sand cage and slowly raised him into the air. However, when Gaara crushed the cage, he noticed only a small stone was in the hovering coffin.

"Come out, you coward! Face me like a true shin obi!!!" Gaara is completely mad now. Just then one of the blades from Dokuja's sword came from behind a bush and came right at him. Gaara didn't even flinch at it. His sand shield blocked it before it got near him.

"You do know that I'm not just out here for fun, right?" Dokuja said, still concealed in the darkness. "I was also training and developing new jutsu. Like this one for instance". He started making a hand sign sequence. "Fire Style: Flaming Rose Jutsu!!" All of the sudden six fireballs came thrashing down and surrounded Gaara. They started rotating slowly around him and gradually speeding up and coming closer until they were nearly on him and rotating so quickly it literally made a huge blazing twister, able to burn down the forest if it spins out of control. Once the fire calmed down Dokuja noticed Gaara fell over…. Suposively dead, but to make sure he used his blade and stabbed him in the chest. It looked like Gaara was lifeless, but it was only a sand shell he made just before the fire consumed him.

"Not a bad technique," Gaara said, over on a nearby branch. "It could use a little work on how slow and reckless it is though. You'll never be able to beat a true ninja with that."

"I could've said the same to you, making a shell before it hit your flesh. Can you ever take a hit, I wonder. Shall we find out?!!?" Dokuja shouted, while thrusting his sword directly at him. The blades removed themselves from the handle and charged, one going to the left, the other right. Gaara jumped out of the way in the nick of time to doge the blades going side by side, but then they came at him from below. The double side swipe was just to get him away from his sand and make him defenseless. The chains wrapped around him and threw him to the ground hard. His Sand armor was drastically damaged.

"It looks like I finally found your weakness," Dokuja said, chuckling. "When you're off the ground or away from that sand of yours, you absolutely have to activate your sand armor to protect yourself. That makes everything so much simpler."

_This is bad._ Temari thought. _We seriously underestimated this… this beast!_

"Okay, Okay!" Kankuro shouted. "You win. Just let Gaara go. We don't want any trouble."

After thinking for a minute, Dokuja replies. "I'll Let you go; this time. But the next time we meet, you won't be so lucky".

"We'll meet again. I'll make sure of that". Gaara said, breathing heavily due to being strangled by the sword as they leaped off without a trace. Then, in an instant, Dokuja collapses.

Kiba and the rest of his squad responded quickly. "Hey, are you O.K.?" Kiba said, dashing to the scene.

"I'll be fine," Dokuja replied. "Nothing a few weeks of rest won't fix. I'd also feel a little more comfortable if you told me who you are."

"Oh, sorry. I'm Kiba, this is Shino, and this is Hinata. Heheh and this is Akamaru". The dog barks when he is introduced. "Now, you tell me."

"My name is Dokuja. I have no idea where I am and don't know where to go next. Where are you heading? And mind if I tag along?"

No one's stopping you, so I guess it's okay. Right guys?"

Both Shino and Hinata nod in unison.

"Let us be off then."

And the squad and there new comrade head toward the central tower.


	3. Rematch

After an hour or so the group arrived at the tower with both the Heaven scroll and the Earth scroll in hand. Dokuja had no idea what was going on. He was confused out of his wits what those scrolls were for and had not come up with a logical explanation.

"If you don't mind me asking," Dokuja asked, hoping they knew more than he did. "What exactly are those scrolls for?"

"You really haven't got a clue, have you?" Kiba replied, with an insulting look on his face. "The second exam proctor, Anko, said to bring the scrolls here and to not open them until we got here."

"Well, are you going to open them?"

The group paused, starring at each other, and gave a quick nod simultaneously. Hinata opened the heaven scroll while Kiba opened the earth scroll. When they did, all they saw was strange markings. Then a glimmer of smoke came from both scrolls.

"It's a summoning jutsu, quick, get rid of the scrolls!!" Shino shouted in an instant. Hinata and Kiba quickly hurled the scrolls across the room they were inside while smoke continued to pour out until a man appeared in the cloud of grey, noxious gas. All of the four teammates coughed and gasped for air. When the smoke cleared away, the man that appeared stood there and was about to deliver a very important message.

"Okay, all of you listen up." The man said, so all of them could hear. "You all passed the second exam. Congratulations." He swiftly noticed Dokuja standing among them. "Hey, hold on a second. These teams were assigned as squads of three. In other words, what are you doing here?" He waited for a reply, but nothing was spoken. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" He asked again, somewhat annoyed.

"Calm down," Shino replied before he used force. "He means no harm. We found him lost in the forest. He said he was there for weeks surviving on his own. So we let him come with us here. He appears well qualified for the exams, don't you agree? I'm not telling you that he shall be in the exams. I'm just thinking that he could actually pass as a ninja for our village. If he so chooses, of course."

"You're kidding, aren't you? Sure. I'd love to be a participant, but wouldn't that make an uneven number of contestants?" Dokuja asked the ninja standing before him.

"Actually, you would fit right in and even up the entire line of contestants. Now, everyone will have an opponent. I'll inform Lord Hokage right away." He then disappeared as the door behind him opened to an arena, possibly something to do with the next exam. There were another two out of a possible six squads there, not including them. They had t wait until the rest of the squads shown up or until the five day limit was up, so each of them took a well deserved rest.

Once the rest of the time was up, The third Hokage introduced Dokuja to everyone present and also informed that he would now be taking part in the Chunin exam from here on out. Naruto and some of the other students started to complain.

"This isn't fair!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs. "You can't just let a late entry walk in like this just because some jerks found him in the forest! What about all the stuff we've been through to get here? Do you even care?!!?"

"Naruto, that's enough!!" Lord Hokage shouted; interrupting Naruto's bickering. "Dokuja is more than qualified to enter at this point. He was in the Forest of Death for two weeks longer than you have, far longer than even your sensei, Kakashi, could ever withstand. Therefore he is now entered for the Chunin Exams, with my approval."

Naruto just grunted and let it slide.

"Any other objections?" No one raised there hand or spoke up. "Very well then, I will now go over the rules of the next part of the exam."

"Lord Hokage, if I may," Genma said. "We will need to have a preliminary mach first."

"A preliminary?" Dokuja questioned. He wondered how and why they would do this and came up with the only logical answer. There were simply too many combatants to just go on to the final phase of the exam.

After the Hokage explained the rules, every person participating in the matches moved up to the stands above them. They all waited for there name to be called on the randomization board in the upper left hand corner of the wall where the proctor was present. (Note: I will only write about the matches that I changed for the story to fit with the new character. If you wish to know what the rest of the matches were like and the results, watch the Naruto anime DVD volumes 9-13 of the first season, or episodes 35-53. This is an estimate, they may be inaccurate.)

After the first few matches, Dokuja was anxious, almost begging to be in the next match so he can show them what he could do. Gripping his blade tensely, Dokuja glares at the randomization board hoping his name appears on the next match. Over in the distance, Gaara turns into a cloud of sand and appears in the middle of the arena.

"Come on, let's get this started." He said, glaring at the screen. And a few seconds later, both he and Dokuja's wishes came true. Both of there names were on the next match list.

"Finally," Dokuja said, leaping down while also withdrawing his blade. "A rematch with an old friend of mine and I'm finally up. What could be better than this?"

"Good luck, Dokuja!" Kiba shouted down to the arena below. "Bring a win home for the team!!"

"Don't you mean WHEN I bring home a win? This will be over in about two minutes."

"Don't get so cocky," Gaara said just before he was finished cheering himself on. "You are going to lose if you don't pay attention".

"I couldn't have said it better myself".

"Get ready," The proctor said. There was a short pause when Gaara removed his cork and Dokuja withdrew his blade. "Begin!!"


	4. Chapter 4

Dokuja's blade launched out of its handle in a mere second. Both blades flailed above him. Everyone viewing this was stunned at the sight. Even the Hokage was speechless.

_This blade of his is certainly out of the ordinary, _Kakashi thought to himself._ It almost seems as if it has a mind of its own. However, it doesn't even look like it would lash at anyone, so it must be controlled by him somehow. I just can't pinpoint it._

"Man, this kid is a guy you do not want to mess with." Naruto said, shocked at the marvelous sight of the blades soaring through the air so domestically. "I don't care how strong this Gaara guy is, he better forfeit or he'll get pulverized!"

"You do have a point, Naruto," Sakura replied. "It almost looks as if he isn't human. Why don't the blades lash at him instead of Gaara?"

"I can't believe you didn't figure it out yet Gaara, how simple it is and how you still don't notice it." Dokuja said, glaring at Gaara. "The chains connected to the blades are made of a special hollow metal, allowing the wielder to focus his chakra through it and make it do whatever you tell it to. If you want it to stretch out farther, you need to focus a large amount of chakra and to make it stay where it is you need to focus the chakra at a steady rate. And due to the extraordinary amount of chakra I and only I posses, I am the only one that can unleash its full potential!!" The blades lashed out directly at Gaara for a frontal attack. Gaara was prepared for anything, but the blade went directly through the ground. He now could never predict where the blades were coming from to get ready to dodge. Then, out of nowhere, the sharp, swift blades came from underground. Gaara barely avoids a fatal blow and gets an injured leg in the process. His sand armor prevented him from losing any blood, however.

_Astounding _Lee thought, watching the battle closely._ Accomplishing something like this in a mere instant, with just a single swipe, no less. Remarkable skills as a shinobi. He might actually be the best ninja ever seen in this exam. Controlling that weapon with just his chakra, I highly doubt that even Sauske would be able to pull something like that off. This match will be one of the best I ever observe with my own eyes._

"You're going to pay for that." Gaara replied. His sand hurled over to Dokuja at a lightning fast speed. He attempted to block the attack, but the power was too great as he was sent flying backward into the wall. Dokuja suffered severe pain to his right arm as the blade was still grasped in his left. Another attack was launched at him. This time he leaped out of the way just before it collided with him. "What's the matter? I thought this was going to take a very short time before you won. It looks like your not going to win at all."

Dokuja, breathing hard, stood and put his blade away. "I can't believe that I have to use this already," he said, crouching back down. "But you're not leaving me any other options." He reached for a scroll in a pouch he carried on his right leg, opened it, and bit his right thumb so he could put his blood on it. He then reclosed the scroll and tied it shut. He placed it in front of him and commenced making hand signs. So many in fact even Kakashi couldn't tell what he was doing.

"So many different hand signs," Guy told Kakashi. "This is going to be one jutsu that nobody could see or even predict what could happen."

"You're exactly right," Kakashi replied. "Even I don't know what's coming next. We'll just need to watch and wait for whatever he's planning and for him to show it."

Still making hand signs, Dokuja stares at his scroll as it starts to let out a red, oil like substance. He then stands while continuing the hand sign sequence as the liquid surrounds him and starts to make a cocoon around his body. Gaara stands in front of him, unsure what's coming next, as it continues to cover Dokuja completely and harden. Once it did its job, it started to crack and busted open, revealing two sets of wings: one of a dragon and the other of a phoenix. Then a pointed tail started emerging as well. All the spectators were terrified, especially Temari and Kankuro. Gaara's eyes widened with terror. The rest of the shell slowly broke apart, revealing what Dokuja had transformed himself into.

"He couldn't have done this," Kakashi said. "He literally mutated himself into a—''There was a short pause. " A monster."

Dokuja had overcome massive changes. His suit and mask merged with his body and changed colors. What was black turned red, and what was red turned black. He let out a mighty roar.

"WHAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!" Dokuja shouted, witch was loud enough to shake the entire room. Gaara continued to stand there, horrified by the sight before him. The fanatical beast rushed at him faster than anyone could follow with regular eyes. He unleashed a crushing blow to Gaara's sand armor without any interference with his sand shield; witch sent him flying into the nearest wall. Gaara cried in pain from the blow, witch almost made it impossible for him to stand. Dokuja quickly clutched him by the throat and lifted him slowly. He used his new wings and soared up in the air, preparing to finish the brawl. He flew as high as possible and dived down to the ground as fast as he possibly could, holding Gaara still in front of him. They hit the ground with a tremendous crash, causing a huge tremor and a crater in the floor. When the dust and gravel cleared enough to see, Dokuja still grasped Gaara's throat. That last blow killed him, for sure. The sand ninja cried out to him.

"Gaara!!" Temari shouted. Dokuja's jutsu slowly wore off, and he changed back to his normal self. Soon after, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily, gazing at the carcass before him.

_I can't believe that actually worked… _Dokuja thought, relieved that it was finally over.

"The winner is…Dokuja!"

Dokuja was happy to hear those words. He slowly rose and walked over to the stands, awaiting for the last match to begin.


	5. Chapter 5

Once everyone was set for the next match, the randomization screen started up and declared the next contestants to fight. Rock lee wasn't looking so great, a pale green color to his skin, rather shaky, and swaying back and forth. And of course, Might Guy stepped in.

"Lee, just so you know, if you feel sick, just stand up and leave. I won't blame you. With all this excitement, especially from the last match, anybody could get nervous enough to get ill."

"Yes, sir!" Rock Lee replied, dashing out of the room, while everyone was staring at him.

"Proctor, my pupil cannot continue. He must have caught a bug or something, and is unable to fight today. Rock Lee cannot advance just yet."

The proctor gave a quick nod in reply, and declared the other combatant for his match, Kabuto, the winner. However, Kabuto refused to advance as well, witch was rather odd. Anyway, the third Hokage called all that advanced to the final round forward along with there sensei. Dokuja was called up next to the Hokage for a very important question he had to answer.

"Now that there is time to ask," The third questioned. "You will need to have one of our Jonin level ninja train you as a shinobi. There are three rookie sensei that you could be taught by. If you may, choose the one you would like to teach you."

"I see. Would those three please step forward along with your squad members?" Kakashi, Kurinai, and Asuma stepped forward along with they're students. Dokuja studied them all carefully. "What I really think I need help with would be Genjutsu or strategic techniques. Who would be able to help me with both of these problems?"

"I believe that would be me or Kurinai" Kakashi replied.

"Oh really? Would you introduce me to your squad?"

"Sure thing. Sauske Uchia is absent right now, but he is the best in his year. Sakura here to my right is our sharpest mind and has the most annalistic skills of the group. And Naruto to my left is our one and only hyperactive knucklehead ninja."

"What?!!?" Naruto shouted in anger with wide eyes.

"I see your point, Naruto is probably the simplest thing I seen all day."

"You got something to say to me, punk?!?" Again Naruto grows wide eyed, this time throwing a fist at Dokuja. He quickly grabs his fist with barely even a flinch out of him.

"Again, proving his point. How naive can you possibly get? This is embarrassing." Dokuja throws Naruto in the air, grabs his waist and sends him into the ground head first. "Kakashi, do me a favor, teach Naruto more Taijutsu and give him an anger management class, he seems to need it. Other than that, I think we found a winner.

"Good," The third replied. "Now that this matter is settled I will now go over the rules of the next exam. The tournament will begin one month from now."Everyone starts to get slightly curious on why. "This time you can use to learn some new tricks with some time that you could also use to rest and see family after a long five days in the forest of death. Now, Anko, if you may pass out the slips of paper."

"Okay everyone, listen up!" Anko shouted. "I am now going to pass out a few pieces of paper. When I walk around, you take one and when all our in possession of one you will read your numbers when we say to." Everyone got one slip each with a number between one through nine, the total amount of contestants remaining. "Okay, starting from the left read off your number."

"Number one of course." Naruto replied.

"I have three" Dokuja replied soon after.

"Nine." Dosu said.

"Seven." Temari said.

"Five." Kankuro replied.

"Eight." Shikimaru replied.

"Two." Neji

"Six." Shino said.

"And that means Sauske will be number four. Very well, now show them the match ups."

"Yes Sir!" A ninja at the right had the tournament bracket set up in order. Dokuja was fighting Sauske, Naruto and Neji, Kankuro and Shino, Shikimaru and Dosu, and Temari by herself.

"From this moment we are now dismissed for one month.


	6. The First Test

Everybody progressed to leave the arena and tell their parents the good news. However, Dokuja was instructed to stay by the Third Hokage to formally register as a ninja for the Hidden Leaf Village.

"The first step we need to follow," The Third explained to Dokuja. "In order for you to be registered is your personal information; name, date of birth, a small description, and to record your stats in Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, weaponry skills, and other attributes of the shinobi. Therefore, we set up a series of tests witch will help us retrieve the information we require. Anko, Ibiki, and Genma will escort you to the special exam grounds we have constructed for you. They will also be the proctors for these tests and record your results. When the tests are over you shall report to me with the folder of pamphlets they give you afterwards and that will be all. Anko, show him the first fragment of his exam. Genma and Ibiki, get to your positions as well."

"Roger!" Anko said, with strong enthusiasm.

"Understood" Genma replied in unison.

"Very well" Ibiki said, with a low voice.

"Okay kid," Anko said to Dokuja. "Follow me". Dokuja did as he was ordered without question. They went to a large tree outside the village. It was at least thirty meters high. "Here is your first test." Anko told Dokuja. "This exam fragment will test how well you can control chakra and your Ninjutsu strength. You will climb to the top of this tree without using your hands. In order to do so you will need to focus your chakra in the soles of your feet. It will also need to be at a steady, balanced rate, or you'll fall off. When you reach the top of the tree you will see a target. You will then cast one of your techniques at the target to try and break it. You will continue this process until you do. Any questions?" Dokuja shook his head. "Very well. You may begin when you're ready."

Dokuja didn't waste any time. He took a mad dash towards the tree while focusing his chakra in his feet. The chakra in his feet was burning a small crevasse in the ground, but quickly quieted down to a dull scorching of the topsoil. He started up the trunk of the tree, making incredible time. He isn't even stumbling when he's up halfway. He then jumps to the top and lands on one foot at the tip. He scouts the area for the target; witch takes a bit until he finally spots the bulls-eye. He then conjures up a few hand signs for another original technique.

"Water Style: Water Viper Jutsu!!" A small, rotating ball of water was focused in his hand. Then, a large stream of the liquid emerged form it and took the form of a snake creature with its jaws spread wide diving at the target. It took the blow head on, getting demolished in the process. Dokuja then leaped down to the ground and landed next to Anko.

"Impressive," Anko commented. "I never would've thought that you of all people could use Water Style techniques. Your control over chakra is impressive as well. My leg of this is over. Your next test is at the Hokage faces. Proceed to that location immediately for your Taijutsu test with Ibiki. The best of luck to you as you head on through your registration!"

Dokuja nodded as he went to confront his next challenge.


	7. The Second Test

On his way to the second test, Anko jumped in front of him, holding a folder with Dokuja's name on it.

"I almost forgot to give you this," she stated, handing it to him. "This is the folder with your information about the last test in it. Keep it with you for the rest of the stat-check exam. Each proctor will give you a pamphlet to put inside. If you lose it, you'll have to start over."

"Thanks for the warning," Dokuja replied, taking the file. "But that won't happen anytime soon." Anko the soon leaped back into the forest trees without a sound. Dokuja then continued onward towards the Hokage faces.

When he was almost there, Naruto stopped him in his tracks.

"Well, what do you know," Naruto said in a surprised tone. "It's you again. I saw you fight that Gaara guy; you're pretty good for a late entry. I hope we get to fight in the future."

"Oh we will in the Finals."

"Yeah, right!"

"What, afraid that you won't beat Neji?"

"No, you'll get slaughtered by Sauske."

"He won't get more than a hundred yards near me."

"Have you EVER seen Sauske fight?"

"Are we looking at the same person?"

"Look, just face it; you against Sauske is no match."

"I know; I'd beat the tar out of him in mere seconds. Now, if you'd excuse me, I have to finish my registration." Dokuja walked by, glaring at him while Naruto did the same. That was the beginning of there rivalry.

When he finally made it to the next proctor's test, he gave Ibiki his folder and waited for further instructions.

"Hello," Ibiki said, calmly. "This next leg of the exam will test your physical strength and Taijutsu skills. I have put a large boulder somewhere in the village. I want you to find and destroy it as much as possible within ten minutes. This will also test your ability to think of strategies. There are four hints on slips of paper posted around the village as well; witch will point you in the right direction if you think critically or outside the box. The easier it is to find the stone will determine how you're mental capacity is. The easier it is to actually reduce the stone will affect your Taijutsu status. I set the stopwatch for ten minutes. Get ready….Go!!"

Dokuja instantly started flying about the village searching for hints or clues. He knew he would never find the boulder until he had a clue on where it was. He found the first clue on the side of a small convenience store on the east side. It reads as follows:

_All the important are sharper than a diamond's edge._

Dokuja had no idea what it was supposed to mean. He stood there gazing at the note for a few seconds, reading it over and over again.

_What does this mean? _He asked himself many times. _I don't get it. Important….Diamond's edge……Wait! Of course!_ He started to make a mad dash towards the next key point: The diamond shaped gravestone in the training fields. He was just approaching the next site when he noticed that two minutes has gone by. _Oh crap, _he thought. _I better speed it up or time will be up before I ever find that stone! _He started going faster than he ever seen himself go. He finally reached the grave and found another clue witch read:

_The education of one leads to the inspiration of one thousand._

Again Dokuja had no idea what the note was trying to tell him. He thought for even longer that he did the last riddle.

_Can this guy ever give anyone a break? Geez, my head already hurts… Wait, that's it! _ Dokuja then again made a large leap towards the next location: the academy. Now he only had six minutes left when he reached the front doors and found the next note:

_The water of relaxation brings the fire of determination._

This time Dokuja knew almost instantly where he needed to go now.

_This one is too simple. Maybe I was wrong about Ibiki…eh! Snap out of it! Focus on the mission._

Dokuja, tiered as any man could be, made another sprint towards the next location: the hot springs. He went faster than before, making it to the final note before the five minute mark. It read:

_Annihilation of nature is also the extermination of all hope._

Dokuja analyzed the note carefully, but still only came up with one illogical answer.

_He couldn't really want me to go and hunt for it THERE could he? There has to be something more, something that I'm missing._ Dokuja flipped the note over and found a fragment of some sort of list. _Wait a second… Didn't he say something about thinking outside the box? _ HE then gets a flashback when Ibiki was telling him the instructions:

_There are four hints on slips of paper posted around the village as well; witch will point you in the right direction if you think critically or outside the box._

Dokuja takes the rest of the notes and finds the rest of the fragments to the list. It was directions to an abandoned outpost outside the village.

_That must be where the stone is. And only four minutes left! I better get moving or I'll need to start over! _Dokuja made the fastest dash anyone ever seen before. He was almost there at the two minute mark. Ibiki was standing in the practically rotted down post gazing at the boulder and his stopwatch.

_One and a half minutes, and counting, _He thought. Dokuja was closing fast on the target until he had a visual and threw himself at it with all of the strength he had left. He thrusted his legs and his arms at the rock until he had driven a deep hole that he could fit through. He tunneled through the boulder at a swift speed, almost like he was a living jackhammer. He was about in the center of the rock when he unleashed an uppercut that blew the top right off the base. Ibiki stopped his watch with the time left: thirty-two seconds.

"Very impressive," Ibiki said, looking down at him. "You took long enough getting here, but you destroyed the target in mere seconds. Well done" He leaped down next to him, holding another pamphlet and his folder. "The proctor for your final exam is over at the training field with the diamond gravestone, I suppose you know ho to get there. Good luck. You'll need it."


	8. The Final Test

Once Dokuja made it to the grave, he noticed Genma standing in the distance, with a toothpick in his mouth. He gave him a quick gaze and came closer to him. Dokuja knew he would tell him about the next and final test. He listened carefully.

"All right," Genma said, walking over. "This is the final test of your registration. This will involve that sword of yours."

"Finally, something I'm good at." Dokuja said, clutching the handle of his blade.

"I thought you might feel that way. Here are the rules. You're going to use your sword to block all the shuriken and other tools that I throw at you while I'm hiding in the trees that you see here behind me. You will also attempt to wrap me in the blade's chain at the same time without getting hit with any shuriken at the meantime. My best word of advice for this is not to try to lunge at me too quickly or you might not be so lucky. The more shuriken you get hit with, the lower your grade will be. Understand?"

"Got it. This will be a breeze!" Dokuja withdrew his blade and the chains soar above his head. Genma commenced to hide in the brush and branches.

_I wonder how this kid is with that weapon,_ Genma thought. _It looks like he had it for quite some time. Well, hopefully he practiced with it for awhile, because he might need it._ Genma threw a handful of shuriken at Dokuja, but the blades knocked all of them away with ease. He continued tossing tools from all directions without signs of stopping anytime soon. But for the whole time Dokuja was shoving shuriken, kunai, senbon, all of the above out of his way, trying to detect where Genma was hiding. He was almost at his limit after a few minutes when he finally figured that there was no way he would find him without using his new visual keckei-genkai. He reached up for his mask and grasped it to take it off. Genma was watching closely, curious on what he was doing. Dokuja's mask was off and his face was revealed. He had three massive scars across his face, starting form the upper left and ending on the lower right, going across both of his eyes. He also had red hair and a somewhat white skin tone.

_Those scars are going through his eyes, _Genma thought to himself, glaring at the almost supernatural sight. _I'm surprised he can still see with that type of injury. I can hardly believe it. Wait until the Hokage hears about this!_

Dokuja's eyes were still closed. Genma was anxious to see what he had in store for this test. Dokuja slowly opened his beast-like eyes until they were revealed. "Doshingan!" Dokuja shouted, with his eyes glaring about his surroundings.

_Genma, _he thought, still looking every witch way looking for his adversary. _Prepare for the best technique I had acquired so far. The Doshingan is a combination of the Sharingan's copying abilities and the Byakugan's reading of chakra points. Also, when I copy a technique, I make it my own by making it stronger and to fit my style by using only the chakra I posses and it can detect heat signatures like a thermal scanner. Like I said before, this is going to be a breeze! But I can't overdo it. It takes up almost all of my leftover chakra to keep myself under control. _ His blades drove in the direction of Genma at lightning speed. Genma attempted to dodge, but he was already entangled by the chains and on the ground before he could lift his foot off the ground!

"The test is over now, right?" Dokuja said, leaping towards Genma's motionless body. The chains squeezed him tightly so he couldn't lift a finger- let alone make a hand sign.

"I got to admit, you have promise. Now, if may please untie me so I can give you the final document you need?"

"But of course." The blades loosened they're grip and let Genma go as they slid back into they're proper places.

"Whatever those eyes of yours can do, they can be rather useful. I'm glad you're going to be on our side soon, I do not want to mess with you again. Here's your final pamphlet. Return to the academy to give them to Lord Hokage ASAP to complete the registration process. I will see you later."

Putting his mask back on and putting the blade back in it's case, he grabbed the final pamphlet and his folder, Dokuja set off towards the academy, awaiting the Hokage's approval.

When Dokuja made it to the academy, Lord Hokage sat next to the front entrance on a bench awaiting his arrival. Dokuja held the folder in front of him and handed it to the Hokage with pride of finishing such a task with flying colors.

"I see that you finished the exam. I will send this to the registration office right away. You may now go to your home and take a well deserved rest."

As the Hokage left, so did Dokuja towards his new home in the Village Hidden in the Leaves.


	9. A Training Exercise

Second Chronicle:

After Registration

Once Dokuja finished his breakfast and other preparations the next morning, he decided to take a walk around his new home town, see what he should know about, famous landmarks, other unique spots, etc. He thought it would be best to know the village he stayed in to be prepared for any crisis. At about noon he came across Naruto, and he wasn't happy at the moment.

"Hey, it's YOU!" he shouted, while at the same time grabbed a lot of attention from the surrounding shoppers.

"Yeah, I think it is," Dokuja replied, in a nasty attitude. "Now please shut the fuck up before everyone thinks you're a bitch. Oh, wait, I forgot."

"What was that!??!"

"Oh, nothing, just a fact I stated. Either way, do us all a favor and get out of my way."

"I don't have time to argue with you, Kakashi wants us all together for a special training session today, and that includes you! Follow me. Hopefully you can keep up."

"Don't worry about me. I can easily beat you in a race any day. Whatever, let's go." Dokuja and Naruto headed off towards the training fields until they finally found Kakashi and the rest of the squad.

"Finally," Sakura said. "How long does it take to find one man in a black outfit carrying a sword with two blades? Doesn't he stand out enough?"

"Sakura, it's time for explaining to Dokuja the rules of our training exercise today."

Kakashi soon gave a quick gaze at Dokuja and started explaining the exercise. "Today we're going to have a teamwork exercise. Since now there are four of you, this will be a two on two match. The pairings are Sakura and Sauske,"

"YES!!!" Sakura shouted with heart-shaped eyes.

"And Dokuja and Naruto." Kakashi finished. Dokuja instantly spoke against this motion, even though it was futile.

"I protest! I can't work with the dumbass of the group; I'd be at a disadvantage; it would practically be three on one!"

"Oh really? Are you insisting you can't handle two genin on your own?" Dokuja did what was safe and shut up. "All right then, now that we have the teams chosen, I'll explain the rules. There is only one: this is a training exercise. You cannot kill one of your opponents. Each team will work together and simply pin the enemy down and stop them from moving. Now, get into your positions. I will be the proctor. If things get out of hand I will stop the match immediately. Understood?"

"Roger." Dokuja said, clutching the handle of his blade. However he soon let go and assumed an awkward stance: he stood on one hand with both legs above him bent and the other hand was making a hand sign, but not one used for jutsu.

"What the hell are you doing!??!" Naruto shouted; eyes wide with rage. "This is a training exercise, not a fucking talent show!!" Dokuja gave a groan as only Shikimaru would as Naruto went on, ignoring every word he said with no intention of listening anytime soon. Naruto quickly realized this and assumed his stance. _Show off. _Naruto thought, mocking him.

"Ready," Kakashi said, cuing them before the match started. "Begin!"

Dokuja, back on both feet, leaped towards Sauske at a blinding speed with his fist tightened and prepared for a left hook. Sauske couldn't believe his skill level was already this great, and was not prepared for the blow to the jaw that threw him across the training field. _This kid is stronger than I originally estimated, _Kakashi thought, amazed by his skill as well. _Even I did not know that he was capable of that speed at his age. _He glanced down at the ground Dokuja's hand was on. He noticed that a randomly shaped burn was also there, witch of course was from chakra. _I see now. His hand was charged with chakra to make the ground softer and easier to jump from. He is a resourceful man with his chakra especially. _Of course, Sakura was furious.

"HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO SAUSKE!!???!!!!!!?!!?!?!?" she shouted. Naruto almost ran and hid like a frightened rabbit, but Dokuja just sat there where he was and didn't care about what Sakura was yelling at him. "You stupid, mother fucking, son of a bitch!!!!!!!!!"

"Sakura!!" Kakashi warned. "Calm down."

"CALM DOWN MY ASS!!! If that god damn piece of shit over there can do that, I DON'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT YOU SAY I'M GOING TO GRIND HIS ASS INTO A PILE OF SHIT!!!!"

_Heheheheheh…. _Dokuja cackled to himself. _She, as I suspected, lost control over herself. Now she won't know what hit her. _He starts to withdraw his blade. Sakura continued to cuss everyone out at random. She was not in a very good mood. And with Sakura.... You might run away, but Dokuja wasn't afraid. He had a plan to take her down in one simple jutsu. One he copied from Naruto at the Chunin exam preliminary and upgraded to fit his style and to do even better in battle. Dokuja thrusted his blade into the ground and it tunneled under towards Sakura. Naruto already Dokuja had to be planning something, so he ducked under some branches in a nearby tree and hid. _Man, is this guy crazy or what? If he doesn't run soon even he won't make it to the next day without being broken to pieces and thrown in the river. _Naruto kept on thinking to himself as Dokuja's blades hurled them selves at Sakura and tie her to the dirt. Sakura jumped out of the way in time for a counter attack. However, Dokuja was as keen as she was so she missed to as Dokuja made a new hand sign for his new jutsu. "You might want to run as fast and as far as you can before I literally flatten you." Dokuja warned Sakura.

"AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO SAUSKE? NO WAY, ASSHOLE!!" Sakura was still cussing him out for the longest time now. The Dokuja finally revealed his technique.

"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you. Energy Clone Jutsu!!" A massive, unnatural storm started forming above his head. It had more of a red color to it. Then, in an instant, a huge red bolt of lightning hits Dokuja as smoke starts to rise and reveal an army of clones! Sakura stood there, staring at each of them, surrounding her, no escaping this one. She threw a shuriken at one and it turned into a small bolt of lightning and came back and gave her an electric shock in her right leg. "That's the basis of this technique." Dokuja stated, still glaring at her, well, when all of them were still glaring at her. "These clones don't just disappear. They come back to bite and they don't mess around."


	10. Tripe Demoned Freak

_As much as I don't want to admit it, _Sakura thought to herself, amazed at Dokuja's skills. _He is, just maybe, stronger than Sauske. Not to mention his jutsu is extraordinarily powerful. _Sakura was still glancing in every direction and prepared for any incoming attack.

"I got to admit, Sakura, you're better than I expected. A couple more days of constant training and you might be a good person to spar with." Dokuja was forming another hand sign as his clones did the same and gathered in a circle around Sakura at the same time. Sauske, barely awake by the swift thrust to his head, was looking at the sight before him, weakly. Dokuja and his clones released the hand sign and clapped there hands together simultaneously. _ This might take a lot of chakra, and I don't even know if it will work correctly due to not quite perfecting the stabilization of this technique, but it's worth a shot. What could happen? _He noticed Sauske beginning to stand after being blown five yards in one blow. "Naruto, get over here!" he shouted, hoping Naruto was still in the same field. Luckily, he came without flinching.

"Finally," Naruto said in a sarcastic tone.

"Can you keep Sauske busy? I need to do this and take Sakura out. I don't care what you do just hold him back until I'm finished here!"

"With pleasure; I wanted to fight him for a long time."

"Here's you're chance. You are going to take it?"

"Like a birthday present."

"Fine." Dokuja slowly moved his hands away from each other, slowly revealing a perfectly straight bolt of red lightning, like the energy that struck him before. Except this time it was in between his hands instead of in the sky. His hands moved farther apart and the spear- like electricity was held in right hand. The rest of the clones did as he had and got the same effect. _Good. The jutsu is stable. I can hardly believe it, but it's working so far. I better finish up quick; I'm almost out of chakra. _Dokuja held his energy spike next to his head, about to throw it at his stunned target. The clones did the same. Sakura just stood there, in shock.

_This--- This is impossible… How is he doing this? I don't understand. This technique must take most- no, all of his chakra already. The only way he could keep it up for this long is if he had a— _Sakura gasped. She knew one of Dokuja's most treasured secrets. She couldn't believe it no matter how hard she tried. Dokuja was preparing to attack.

"Now you'll feel more pain than any soldier mortally wounded and left for dead! Let's end this: Ninja art: Energy Spear Bombardment!!" All of the clones threw there lightning spikes at the same time. Sakura attempted to dodge, but there was no safe route of escape. The energy collided with her at a great speed; each delivering massive damage and an enormous shockwave. She collapsed in seconds; Dokuja fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

_This kid has an enormous amount of chakra ._Kakashi thought._ It's as big as or even bigger than Naruto's chakra Nine-Tailed Fox and all. He must have an inner demon inside of him as well. Interesting. I should ask him after this exercise is over, it's best that the squad knew more about him before they start working as a team or they'll see something unexpected and start to get frightened and lose concentration and then they'll be in a grave with three letters: K.I.A._

Naruto was handling Sauske somewhat well. He wasted a lot of chakra and Sauske was pretty weak. "Okay, that's enough. The victor is Dokuja and Naruto."

"You hear that Naruto?" Dokuja said relieved. "We won!!"

Naruto gave a grin from ear to ear. "YEAH!!!!"

"All right," Kakashi finally got there attention. "Everyone come over here for a minute. There is something important I need everyone to hear." Once everyone dragged themselves over to Kakashi he began to talk. "I have a question to ask. Dokuja, do you have an inner demon inside of you?" Dokuja stood stunned.

_How did he find out?!!? I'm screwed. Might as well tell them now…._

Naruto was the most interested. He wanted to know more than anyone. If this was true, he'd have someone to talk to more often about things he couldn't before.

"You're part right," Dokuja said, with a sigh. "I don't have one demon. I have THREE."

Everyone stood, speechless.


	11. A Long Walk

"Yes, that's right, three inner demons." Dokuja repeated. "Most people think that only tailed beasts exist. But their wrong. There is another branch of demons each one giving different colored chakra. I possess three of that branch: The Red Wolf, The Purple Dragon, and The Black Phoenix. Mostly those are the stronger of the Multicolor Demon Branch, Witch there is only six of that still exist. The Demons I have all give me different types of chakra that I can use at will."

Naruto was still listening, interested in how this was possible and wanted to learn more. _Are there really other branches of demons out there? _Naruto thought harder and harder, but still couldn't understand. _Can one man have three demons in him at once? How is it possible that he has all of these demons in him but yet he doesn't feel any pain? Wouldn't they kill each other in his own body? Or are they in different parts of his body?_

_Whoa, _Sakura thought, almost as desperately as Naruto. _This guy has some serious issues in his life. No wonder he hid in the forest of death for this long. But how is it possible to contain such a force inside of him without being a living time bomb? It's really confusing... _

"Hopefully this won't discomfort you, I really wish I didn't have to tell you."

"Don't worry about it." Kakashi replied. "I'm sure this doesn't change a thing. Right guys?" Each of them gave an evil stare at him simultaneously. Kakashi began to shake his fist at them. "Ehem, right guys??" Now each of them were replying positively at random, also afraid of getting slugged. "Well, there you have it. And now that this is settled, I also want to inform you that I will be training Sauske and Sauske alone for the finals. I have found a special trainer for you and Naruto as well. This way all of you will get more done in the time limit you have. Naruto will be training with Ebisu and you will be training with Hiyatai, and each will help you through your worst problems that were noticed in the preliminaries. They might even teach you a new jutsu. Well, that's about it for today. From here you are dismissed. I will see most of you in the finals."

Everyone stared home on a slow pace to get some more fresh air in they're blood. Also because they were tired after the new training exercise. Naruto soon parted in a different direction and Sauske soon after that. Soon, Sakura spoke up.

"So it's just you and I now, huh?" she questioned.

"If you don't count the beasts in me, yeah, sure." Dokuja replied, hating the burden on him.

"So where do you live?" Sakura asked another question.

"I live in the new house by the east gate. Lord Hokage is giving it to me for free and covering my taxes until I can get enough money to pay them myself. Another great reason on why Hokage are important."

"That's great!"

"Yes it is. That's what made me want to be Hokage someday as well."

"Really?"

"It may be tough at times, but it really benefits for the most part. I also heard Naruto has this same dream, doesn't he?"

"That's right!"

"Looks like I have some competition for the position."

"Don't worry; you'll make it there easy at this rate that Naruto is at right now! If he doesn't shape up he'll never make it."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that one. Naruto has been here longer than I have and has more experience in this village than I do. He'll be there some day. We both will."

"Well, since were talking like this, I have a few questions about those inner demons of yours."

"Lay them on me."

"How do they all get sealed in your body like this but not cause any pain? Wouldn't it be a war between them if they were in the same body at the same time?"

"That's a good question. You must be the mind of the group, aren't you?"

"I guess I am."

"Well, each demon has it's own sealing formula to keep it in a human's body. I guess these different series of seals are spread among the three beasts to keep them all in me and a few more seals to still keep them all separated and out of each others reach. Not able to fight each other, no pain inflicted on me, you get me?"

"I think so. So all these demons are still in your body but still out of each others reach so they can't fight each other?"

"That's what I'm thinking."

"All of this sealing stuff is confusing."

"That's why you ask me any questions you want. I'll try to answer to the best of my ability. However, I don't know everything about this yet so I can't answer everything, but I can try."

"Here's my house up ahead." Sakura pointed toward a small home on the right side of the road.

"I guess this is your stop then. If you need advice, curious about these multi-colored beasts in me, or just want to talk, drop by for a visit sometime." He handed Sakura a piece of paper with his address written on it.

"I'll be sure to do that."

"Okay, I better head home. I still have some errands to run tonight. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, depending if my sub sensei will train me tomorrow or not."

"Bye." Sakura said, waving her hand in the air.

"Get a good night's rest. You'll need it." Dokuja replied as he darted off home.

_Such a nice guy, _Sakura thought, watching him sprint into the setting sun.


	12. New Sensei, Harsh Origin

The next morning Dokuja woke up and noticed he had some mail by his doorway. It was signed by Hyatai, marked urgent. He quickly opened it to find a letter that read:

_Dokuja,_

_My name is Hyatai; I will be your sensei to train with for the final round of the Chunin exam. Of course Kakashi told you about me yesterday if I'm not mistaken. I will be at the abandoned outpost on the outskirts of the village waiting for you to arrive._

_Hyatai_

Dokuja quickly got dressed, grabbed his sword, and ran to the training location. He couldn't wait to meet him, but he also wanted to stop by at Sakura's place to see if she had any more questions on his "condition". But training is more important right now as he darted to the abandoned outpost. He soon arrived and saw Hyatai standing next to a rock by the torn down lookout.

"So you're Dokuja," Hyatai said, coughing hard. "I've been expecting you to show up early and get right to work, but you came later than I thought."

"Yeah, do you know what time it is?" Dokuja replied. "It's barely seven in the morning!"

"Well, Kakashi said you might get up late due to the exercise yesterday. It must've been quite tiresome. Anyway, from what I'm told from the Hokage and Kakashi you're quite the strong one in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. You also have a sharp mind when it comes to insight and well balanced chakra control. However, you have trouble spotting Genjutsu and your weapon is in need of some work as well."

"Care to explain how it needs work exactly?"

"For instance, you let the blades leave the handle by feeding it chakra, don't you? That would drain most of your stamina right there. You need to learn how to wield it with the blades still attached to the handle. It will help you greatly in the end by having more chakra for jutsu and not being tired after the first few minutes of the match."

"That could be true…"

"Then we should be getting started. I want you to come and attack me with your sword but the blades need to be in the handle. The point of this exercise is how well you can do with your sword at close range."

"I see…" Dokuja withdrew his blade and held it in his left hand. Hyatai held his with his right hand. "Just because you're my temporary sensei doesn't mean I'm going to hold back on you."

"If you did, how would you get any stronger? Attack when you're ready."

Dokuja didn't waste any time and came for a head on charge. Thrusting his blade at Hyatai, it came close but was blocked by the opposing blade. He slashed again, but it was also stopped before he could get in a blow. He kept thrashing at him but it was blocked again, over and over until Hyatai knocked him backwards with his blade next to him in the dirt. _Damn it, _Dokuja cursed under his breath. _This guy's good with his sword. I underestimated him._

"Is that all you got?" Hyatai insulted. "Get up, and come at me again."

Dokuja leaped to his feet, grasped his sword and lunged at him again.

Meanwhile, Sakura was in her room thinking about the demons inside Dokuja, worrying about something that she knew would never happen, but she couldn't stop herself. _I wonder how he's doing with these monsters in him like this. _ Sakura thought. _There's so much I don't understand. Why did he have to keep them in solitary in his own body? Couldn't someone else do it for him? It doesn't seem fair for anyone to have something like that in themselves… What if they somehow got loose from the seal? Would he survive? No, stop thinking about it. Pull yourself together! There's no way that could happen. At least, it shouldn't happen, right? _She had so many questions and very little answers, worrying herself sick.

Dokuja was still lashing at Hyatai without success. It was at least noon now and he still hasn't come any closer to catching him off guard. He was knocked back dozens of times that he was practically used to it. _Damn it, why can't I hit him? _Dokuja thought over and over again.

"The reason you're not scoring a blow it that you're too predictable and reckless." Hyatai mocked, with his blade at Dokuja's throat. "A true swordsman comes up with a certain form to follow before he makes a move. That is something you have to learn."

Dokuja got up when Hyatai moved his blade. He then learned what he had to do to get him off guard.

"It seems as if it's getting late," Hyatai said, staring into the sky. "I'm sure you have things to do at home, so for now were dismissed. Same time, same place, tomorrow morning. I'll see you then." He then vanished into the trees. Dokuja started home as he put his blade away. He did have some time later today to come up with a few more techniques of his later in the afternoon. Once he got home he grabbed an empty scroll and started writing down different skills he could learn to do with his sword. About an hour passed and he had about three techniques written down when he heard a knock on the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Dokuja said as he heard even more knocking a few seconds later. He then opened the door and noticed Sakura standing on the porch.

"Hello," Sakura said. "How's it going with the new sensei?"

"Pretty well; Even though I have a lot of work I need to do he gets to the point and is obviously punctual. He was there at about six in the morning. Hey, would you like to come in?" Dokuja stepped to the side.

"Sure." Sakura stepped inside as Dokuja closed the door behind her.

"Take a seat, make yourself at home, and I'll go get some tea ready."

Sakura took off her shoes and sat down in a chair by the window. She couldn't help but notice the scrolls next to her as she commenced to read a fraction of it. "Excuse me for being rude, but what is this?"

"Oh, those scrolls? That's just some techniques I came up with. I can't help but write them down and teach myself to use them."

"You come up with original techniques for yourself?"

"I guess you could classify it as something to do in my spare time. It's somewhat of a hobby. I came up with about seven so far."

"You must have an impressive imagination to come up with these."

"I guess so. I don't see anybody else trying to do anything like this. I guess I'm the first."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Since I first became a ninja. Most of the techniques I tried then used up too much chakra so I couldn't use them. Now I think I got the hang of it." Dokuja brought out the tea and a small bowl filled with sugar.

"How long have you been a ninja?"

"Well, when I first became a ninja I was in the Village Hidden in the Clouds. I graduated from the academy when I was nine. Including me, I had three squad members: our sensei and a girl named Markue-Rae." Sakura was listening carefully, having a sip of her tea. "We were practically best friends, always by each others side, never against each other. We always made promises to each other and always kept them. She looked up to me, like we were brother and sister. Then one day we were chosen for the Chunin exam here in the leaf village when I just turned thirteen. That's when everything changed." Dokuja's hands tensed around his kneecaps, squeezing them tightly when the clock struck 8:30 P.M.

"It's getting late," Sakura said, standing up. "I should be going home."

"Want me to walk with you?" Dokuja also stood to get the door.

"No thanks, I can manage."

"You're call," Dokuja held the door open for Sakura. "I can pick you up and we can come back to finish if you want."

"Sure," Sakura stepped onto the porch. "I see you tomorrow then."

"Goodbye," Dokuja said, closing the door.

Sakura started home, but gave a quick glance back at Dokuja through the window, then started again. _He's had it pretty hard from what I know, _Sakura thought. _I could be wrong, but it sounds like something happened with Markue-Rae…_


	13. Pure Horror! Dokuja's Frightening Past!

The next morning Dokuja woke up and got ready for his training session as head again head over to the outpost. Hyatai was waiting for him.

"Right on time," Hyatai said, looking at his watch. "Are you ready to begin? It's the same drill as yesterday. We will keep doing the same thing until you learn how to wield your sword at close range, like I told you before."

"I bet you that I'll get the hang of it by the end of the day." Dokuja said as he withdrew his blade. "I've been coming up with different skills I can do with my sword yesterday, so I'm pretty sure you won't expect any of these new moves I came up with."

"We won't know that until you use them against me now will we? Let's see what you learned." Dokuja lunged at him with all his might, slashing at him like before. However, he was more coordinated and had better accuracy. Hyatai could barely block all his moves, but he still maintained his ground position and never got a scratch as he sent Dokuja back again.

_I still didn't get any better, _Dokuja thought. _After all that work…_

"I have to admit, you have a better form, but you're still too predictable. You have to hit me with something new."

"Yeah, I'm trying to make an opening before I go for showing you something new or I might miss and you see another one of my tactics."

"That is also true." Hyatai prepared himself for Dokuja's next attack.

_I have to aim low and get him to jump in the air, or I will never get a good shot at him. _Dokuja thought as he gripped his blade again. He quickly lunged again for another attack.

Meanwhile Sakura was at the bridge over a small stream in the village, watching the water flow by as she thought. _I wonder what happened with Markue-Rae…… It sounds like she almost died or something... I guess I'll have to wait for the answers when Dokuja comes this afternoon. But I can't help but ask questions; it's hard enough on him already with all the demons in him and now this…_

A few hours passed and Dokuja still has failed to land a single blow on Hyatai. He has come close a few times, but every time Hyatai finds a way to dodge or block his blade.

"You're not perfect, but you can almost score a blow. You're making yourself less predictable but you still need to practice. I'm impressed how far you came in just two days of us being together. You are a quick learner, aren't you?"

"I guess I might be better than I thought. I almost thought it would take me two weeks until I could hit you."

"It's almost three, you should be getting home. We'll do something different tomorrow. You came far enough on this, it's time you learned a new jutsu."

"Really? But I didn't hit you yet. You're sure?"

"Did you forget that I'm a Jonin level ninja? You should hit a Genin with ease."

"Same time tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"See you tomorrow Hyatai-sensei!"

"I'm looking forward to it"

Dokuja started for Sakura's home to finish the story about his Chunin exam dilemma and Markue-Rae. He arrived a few minutes later and knocked on the door. Her mother answered a few seconds later.

"May I help you?" she said, opening the door.

"Hi, is Sakura here? I was supposed to pick her up after I finished my training."

"Oh, you must be Dokuja. Sakura told me I should expect you stopping by today. Pleased to meet you." She stretched out her hand. "Welcome to our village!"

"Thank you."

"I'm afraid Sakura isn't home at the moment. She went over to the bridge over a stream on the south side of the village a while ago and hasn't come back yet."

"Okay, I'll go get her. Goodbye."

"Stop by anytime."

Dokuja started to the bridge where Sakura was. It wasn't too far away, but there are similar bridges in the same area, and he needed to check them all in order to find her. About ten minutes later, Dokuja noticed Sakura on a bridge about thirty yards out, weeping for some reason. _I wonder what's wrong… I'm going to try and calm her down. I HATE to see people cry, especially my friends and comrades… Well, I can't help while standing here, might as well give it a shot. I hope I don't make things worse…_

Sakura was still sobbing when Dokuja came to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He startled her and she threw a fist at him, tears still running down her cheeks. It was about two inches from his jaw when he stopped it with his other hand. "Is something wrong, Sakura?" he asked, gently releasing his grip on her clenched hand. Sakura's eyes widened. She didn't even notice his presence. "Come on, Sakura. Tell me what's wrong so I can try to help." She tried to hold back her tears, but she couldn't. She could barely speak, let alone stop crying. All she could do is throw her arms around him and let the rest of her tears flow out. Dokuja had absolutely no idea whatsoever was wrong. "Uh… I'm guessing it's something….very…..bad. That's all I know, unless you can fill me in on what I missed?" Sakura, still unable to answer, started to squeeze slightly tighter. "Sakura, please, look at me…" She did as she was asked, moving her head back to see him. "You want to talk about it at my place? You think that would be a good idea?" She slowly nodded, tears still running down her cheeks. "Then we should probably start out. Once we arrive, I'll give your mother a call to tell her where we are. I'll help any way I can. I hate to see my friends cry more than anything. My only vow is to protect my friends and comrades when they need me. If there in pain, emotionally or physically, I'll be there. You can count on it." They started to head out with Dokuja's arm stretched around her shoulder. A few minutes later, Naruto leaps down from a nearby rooftop, calling there names.

"Hey, Dokuja, Sakura! What's up?" He soon lands and notices Sakura still weeping. And of course, he became concerned as well. "Dokuja, do you know what's wrong?"

"She's crying so bad that she can't talk. We were heading to my house so she could calm down and have some tea and start to tell us what's wrong. Sakura, do you mind if he tags along?" Dokuja asked. Sakura nods, faintly as she continues to cry. "Follow me." Dokuja started to walk again towards his place with Naruto at his left side, Sakura around his right arm, and one question in Naruto's and Dokuja's minds: "What's wrong with Sakura?"

They arrived at about three-thirty as Dokuja opened the door and let them in and have a seat. "I'll prepare us some tea. Naruto, try and calm Sakura down while I'm in the kitchen. Holler if you need me." Naruto sat next to Sakura, attempting to keep her calm from this recent nervous breakdown. Dokuja put a tea packet in a pot of boiling water and came back into the living room. "Are any of you guy's hungry? I could make some Ramen or something, if you want." Dokuja asked his guests. He wanted to try to calm down Sakura before they started to try and make her talk.

"Thank you, that would be nice," Surprisingly, Sakura replied. "Usually hot broth calms me down pretty well"

"Yeah, I'll take some too." Naruto also answered.

"Three bowls of ramen, coming right up!" Dokuja said as he darted back into the kitchen.

"So, Sakura," Naruto started. Sakura looked up at him. "Is there something wrong? Why were you crying like that?"

"Naruto," Sakura replied. "Can we please put that off until after we ate?"

"Sure, it's your call."

"Thanks."

A few more minutes later Dokuja came out with the tea. "The ramen is almost done, just needs to boil a little more before I can take it off, so it shouldn't be long."

"That's fine," Sakura replied. Apparently she stopped crying, but still feels a little down. Naruto was doing a pretty well job of making her feel better.

"Sakura, why don't you do Naruto a favor and tell him about what we talked about yesterday." Dokuja went back into the kitchen to check on the ramen. Sakura did as she was advised and brought Naruto up to speed.

"Ouch," Naruto said. "What happened next?"

"I don't know," Sakura replied, wondering herself the answer to that very question. "That's as far as we got yesterday. He was supposed to pick me up after his training today, went to my house, then my mother told him where I was, and he found me, we started heading over here, and then you showed up a few minutes later."

Around when they finished the ramen was ready and Dokuja brought it out with chopsticks. Naruto dove into his as soon as he got it. He was about halfway done when Sakura spoke up.

"Naruto!" she shouted. "Where are your manners?" Naruto didn't know a thing about what she was talking about, obviously. Sakura again spoke her mind. And a very bright one, if that. One of her very logical words of wisdom: "Dumbass."

"Now THAT is the Sakura we know." Dokuja stated. "You seem to be calm enough to start talking about why you were crying earlier today, unless you still want to wait, that is?"

"Well, I'm going to have to at some point, so I might as well start. Back there I was thinking about you're past. How you had it hard, but we had it so easy."

_Sakura… _Naruto thought as she continued on.

_Crap. _Dokuja also thought, in regret. _If I knew she get this emotional over this, I wouldn't have told her until later. Maybe I did tell them too soon…_

"Sakura," Dokuja said, stopping her from continuing. "Remember, that was the past, water under the bridge. What's done is done. Nobody can change what already happened. We shouldn't dread over the past, only concentrate on the future ahead of us. We learn lessons from the past so we can use that knowledge in the future. I just thought it would be a good idea to tell you so you could learn how I got to be here, not so you would feel pity over me. There's no reason to cry over something you cannot stop or cause. Nothing will change the course of actions you choose. I chose to trust Markue-Rae, and now I'm paying the price."

"What did happen to Markue-Rae anyway?" Sakura asked. She wanted Dokuja to finish what he started for a while now, and this would be a good time.

"I guess you're both eager to hear what happens next. Very well. But remember, it's nothing to cry over. Let's see, where was I? Oh, yes. The Chunin exam. We both passed the first leg with ease. We got to the Forest of Death and started off to find an Earth scroll when I noticed a man, or freak, coming out of a tree somehow. I did what almost anyone would do at this point: prepared for anything." The story slips into a flashback.

"Markue-Rae! Over your head!" Dokuja shouted. Markue-Rae stopped and gripped the end of her scythe.

"Ah, Markue-Rae, It's been awhile, hasn't it?" The man said, as he showed himself.

"Who are you?" Markue-Rae replied with another question.

"Don't you recognize me?" He commenced to tear off his face and reveal who he truly was. That made Dokuja a little uneasy. His face was a grayish color with purple lines down his eyelids. His eyes were pure evil. (Did you figure out who it is yet?)

"Hold on a second," Dokuja started to ask. "Aren't you---?

"Yes, child. It is I. Orochimaru." He said, and he already knew what he was being asked. Dokuja stood in terror, while Markue-Rae seemed happy to see him.

_No… It can't be… Not him… Not now… _Dokuja continued thinking as he clenched his fist tightly. He was still trembling slightly, but Markue-Rae wasn't even startled. _Why isn't Markue-Rae scared? Doesn't she know who she's dealing with? _That same second Markue-Rae darted up to Orochimaru, no weapon in hand, no hand sign, nothing. She stopped in front of him, calm as a robin in its nest. _What the hell?!!? _Dokuja was in shock, worse than before. He could barely keep himself standing.

"Look how much you've grown. You truly are my child." Orochimaru put his hand on her shoulder. "Time to leave this place and come back with me."

"Wait a minute; you're not taking her anywhere! And what's with all this "child" business?" Dokuja was either going mad or having a nightmare.

"You were always the naïve one, weren't you?" Markue-Rae said, staring down at him. "He is my father."

Dokuja's head was spinning. If this was really true, what would he tell his sensei? Or his family? This had to be a lie. "You must be her comrade. What's you're name, boy?" Orochimaru asked him, eyes wide.

"Like I'll ever tell you anything." Dokuja replied.

"His name is Dokuja," Markue-Rae told Orochimaru. "He graduated top of our class."

"How promising." Orochimaru gave a twisted glare at him. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter for this long." A snake came from out of his arm. "Consider this my gift to you." The snake bit Dokuja's neck. He was on the ground in pain as a mark appeared on his right shoulder, similar to the curse mark, but a slightly different illustration. '"This is the Dragon's Mark, one of the jutsu that I just developed. You should consider yourself lucky. I only give this mark to the shinobi that has taken care of my daughter for the time I had to leave her. You are the only living ninja that has ever done this for me. Come with us boy; see the truth of the world through my eyes. I can give you power beyond your wildest dreams."

"You take me for a fool," Dokuja was still gripping his neck, trying to stop the pain. "I will never join the likes of you. Not even for immortality."

"We'll see about that. You will come seek me out. Eventually." Both Orochimaru and Markue-Rae started sinking back into the tree, the same way he appeared.

_No…You not going to take her…Not today…Or any other day… as long as I live, you will never lay a hand on her…I don't care if she's your daughter or your pet…You won't take her away! _ Dokuja gripped and withdrew his blade and sprinted up the tree as fast as he could to catch them. They continued to drop, farther and farther as Dokuja kept moving closer. When he was close enough he threw himself into the air and thrusted his sword towards Orochimaru's head. But it was too late. They were already gone. _No…I failed… again… I couldn't stop him…That bastard…I'll kill him for this… _Then Dokuja began to shout at the top of his lungs.

"Orochimaru…I'LL KILL YOU!!!" It echoed through the forest and continued on of miles.

Back in the living room Dokuja told them every detail. "And I exiled myself to the Forest of Death until Hinata, Kiba, and Shino found me and brought me back with them. I was scared to show myself in the Land of Lightning without Markue-Rae next to me. They'll begin to ask questions that I didn't want to answer at that time, harassing me about them until I completely flipped out. I stayed there for about six months or until the next Chunin exam started so they would think we both died. I had nightmare about HIM every time I slept." Dokuja stood and took care of the bowls and tea cups.

_Ouch, _Naruto thought, dreading about how horrible it must have been, even though he was instructed not to. _That must have been a living hell for him. Now I understand why he didn't want to go back to his village. The villagers would just make it worse…_

"This may be a dumb thing to ask," Sakura started. "But, did you have any feelings for Markue-Rae?"

Attempting to argue, Dokuja stopped and turned around. "I…yeah… I guess you could say that. But that's not all he took from me. He also killed off my clan in one of his twisted experiments to get our keckei-genkai, the Doshingan, a powerful Dojutsu that is now mine and mine alone due to his treachery."

Both Sakura and Naruto's eyes widened with fear of Orochimaru and his power.

"I know it's startling, but every word I said is true to the letter." The clock struck seven. "You two should probably start home. It's getting late."

"Yeah, my mom is probably wondering where I am because I was gone so long." Sakura stood and walked towards the door.

"I better get going too." Naruto did as Sakura.

"One last thing," Dokuja stopped them before they left. Both of them turned around. "Make sure neither of you tell anyone else this without my permission, especially Sauske and Kakashi. It may cause them to be uneasy and cause a commotion."

"Right." Sakura replied and left.

"You got it!" Naruto also replied, with a grin on his face. When the door shut, Dokuja went into his backyard. There was a dartboard with a picture of Orochimaru hanging on the bulls-eye. Dokuja wrapped a kunai in a paper bomb and tossed it at the photo. It was hit in the heart as the paper bomb slowly caught fire. "I will kill you for this, if it's the last thing I do." Dokuja said as he went back inside. The second the door closed, the paper bomb caused a massive blast witch destroyed the dart board. Half of the photo was in the air, with a small flame attached as it turned into ashes.


	14. THe Horrific Meeting

The next morning Dokuja woke earlier than he usually did for the past few days and looked at the damage the bomb did last night. Nothing serious, but he did do quite a bit to the tree that the dart board was hanging from. Other than that, he just had a scorched lawn and the smell of smoke lingered in the air. He went back inside, without a care in the world for what he just saw.

An hour passed, and Dokuja was walking towards the abandoned outpost, remembering the day his worst nightmare became real, wishing he could've done more. He kept viewing images of Markue-Rae before she left with Orochimaru, how happy they were together, until he saw another image of the dreaded Sannin in the shadows. _Come boy, _he said, in the shadows, glaring back at him.

_You can go burn in Hell with the rest of the Sannin for all I care. _Dokuja thought to himself, hating each of the three and the word Sannin all together. _If they weren't born, you wouldn't be here either, now would you? Even if all of you were alive, both the other member's of the Sannin still have never tried to confront you, even after all you done to the village. You're all traitors; each and every one of you betrayed your village, leaving it without a care in the world. Do you realize what you done to me? _Dokuja continued to curse them until he reached the outpost about seven minutes later, witch to him seemed like decades. Hayate was waiting for him, leaning against the tree.

"You seem troubled," He noted, seeing how gloomy he appeared to be.

"It's nothing serious, and if it was it wouldn't be any of your business, now would it?" Dokuja replied, rather rudely.

"Forgive me for intruding," Hayate gave him a scowl.

"Apology accepted, now what was this technique you were telling me about yesterday?"

"By looking at your Taijutsu records, you seem to have the proper agility and stamina for this. Usually I would wait until my student's become ANBU Black Ops to teach them this, but you seem to have the right skills, so I won't waste any more time."

"Seems like it's something used for assassinations or hit and run attacks, being used by ANBU and all."

"That is true. For the record, it's ranked the fifth top used for assassination. It's rather effective in stealth operations as well."

"Sounds hard to learn. How long do you think this will take to master it? Will I learn it before the Chunin exams?"

"Most likely, we have plenty of time."

"Then let's not waste any."

"This jutsu is called Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance. It's mostly basic protocols, but some advanced tactics as well. Allow me to demonstrate." Hayate gripped his sword. Two clones appeared at each of his side as they all charged towards a nearby boulder. Two of them went to the left and right. The third was nowhere to be seen. Both of the visible ones disappeared before coming into contact with the rock. Dokuja looked in every direction, until he noticed real Hayate soaring high in the air, sword ready to strike. He started to descend and swiftly slashed at the immobile natural tower before him. He landed, and nothing happened to the boulder.

"Uh… I think you missed it." Dokuja said. A few seconds later half the boulder came off the base and tumbled to the ground.

"On second thought…" Dokuja was almost scared of his sensei. _Man, with a technique like that, I could obliterate the Sannin in mere seconds! Yes!! _ Dokuja thought he was being praised by the gods. Hayate returned to him.

"We should get to training; after all we don't want to waste much time."

Dokuja walks towards Hayate and waited for instructions on the technique's use.

Meanwhile Naruto was at home, thinking about last night with the story on Dokuja's past. He couldn't stop himself from worrying about him, and about Markue-Rae's condition. _I wonder… What was she like? Kind, stubborn, annoying? Ugh, I'm going to get a headache. What I should be thinking about is how she is at the moment. Hopefully she's okay. I better get some fresh air and take a walk or something… _Naruto left his home and started taking a stroll.

At about five in the afternoon, Dokuja was still working on the technique. He has the movements down, but he's having trouble with the cut. On the boulder that Hayate cut in half was also the one he was working on, well, what was left of it. When he really tried, he could only get a small fragment of it off, only about two inches in diameter. _Now I understand why he waited until his students were ANBU level. _Dokuja thought, frustrated that he wasn't getting much better. Hayate was no longer present. He said he would check on how he was doing in about a week and was instructed to train on his own. _Maybe I should turn in and come back tomorrow; I've had a long day, constantly thinking about the Sannin, and Orochimaru. I'll kill them all, just wait and see… _Dokuja went against what he thought earlier and lunged at the boulder again.

_One week later…_

Dokuja was up early in the morning, training hard. He has gotten slightly better, getting small chips of the rock witch were thicker than before, but still not much different in size. Around when he was ready to charge again, Hayate appeared in front of him. "All right," He said, looking over at the boulder, witch was not much different then when he left it, but had a two foot fragment missing on the left side. _He may not know it, but he is doing better than when I was learning it at his age. He is a special student. I'm glad I took him under my wing while Kakashi trains Sasuke. I would be glad to have him as my permanent student. "_Let's see what you learned so far."

"Yes sir!" Dokuja took pride in his temporary teacher. He seemed to learn more from him than Kakashi, so he has come to vast improvement's in the past week. Dokuja stood ready, Hayate observing him closely.

_His stance is fine, _Hayate thought.Dokuja made two clones, as Hayate did before. _The clones are good, exact and timed correctly. _The two clones went left and right, approached the boulder and disappeared. _The loss of sight of the real Dokuja is also doing well. He could learn this sooner than I thought. _Dokuja was in midair, preparing for the cut. It looked like how Hayate cut it. Nothing falling off until he landed. But when it did, it was only about a foot long. _It seems his form is right, but he can't get enough power behind the blade. I don't think he's focusing chakra into the blade at all. Maybe he didn't catch it in the demonstration._

"Damn it!" Dokuja shouted, disgusted with his inferior abilities. "What am I doing wrong?"

"I got to admit, you are doing better than I was at your age." Hayate continued to walk towards Dokuja, stating what he might've not seen. "When I was about to cut the boulder, did you notice anything different about my katana?" Dokuja looked back at the time Hayate cut the boulder in half. He remembered a strange glow in the blade, but only around the metal, not in the handle at all.

"Wasn't there an aura around it?" Dokuja inferred.

"Yes, you finally noticed. The aura was chakra, laced around the exterior of the blade. That makes it easier to make a smooth cut through any surface, even steel."

"So you're saying in order to master this jutsu I need to focus my chakra directly to the blades, but not have it travel through the handle?"

Hayate nodded. "Why don't you try it now and see what happens?"

"Roger," Dokuja got into position and tried it again, this time focusing his chakra into the metal. _Got to focus my chakra into the metal, not the handle. If I do the blades will separate from the handle and that can't happen. _Dokuja focused some of his chakra into the metal with much success, except it gave out a strong, black glow to it. It almost looked like it was on fire. Hayate was stunned of this feet. Dokuja could barely believe it himself. He charged at the boulder with the same form as before and commenced to slash at the rock. This time he cut about a third of what was left. He gave a low whistle at the result. "That helped a lot more than I thought." Dokuja returned to Hayate.

"This boulder is no longer of use to us. It's just mere rubble now. Come with me. I know a rock that was made for learning this technique." Hayate leaped into the trees, with Dokuja right behind him.

About an hour later they arrived at the site where the rock was supposed to be. Hayate stood in front of it. "Dude, this thing is huge!!" Dokuja said in astonishment, also looking up. The rock is at least forty feet taller than he was.

"Welcome…" Hayate started. "To Shuuri Jitai Rock. The self-repairing boulder."

"Self repairing boulder? Why is it called that?" Dokuja questioned.

"Observe." Hayate did the Crescent Moon Dance and cut it in half, small stones falling as he did. Dokuja held one of the fragments in his hand. Then, in an instant, it started to leave his hand, floating in the air, slowly. Dokuja was slightly startled. Then, the rest of the fragments also started to levitate and converge at the boulder, sliding into different places, fixing the enormous crack before both of them. Each fragment went to its proper place and patched the hole. The entire gorged area was fixed without any impurities or even the slightest trace that it was tampered with.

"What the heck did I just see?" Dokuja said in disbelief. "Either I'm crazy or I need my head examined!"

"O ye of little faith." Hayate couldn't help but snicker a bit. "As much as I want to stay, I have to get back to the village and won't be back until the Finals, so I'm counting on you to train on your own. I no longer have to be with you. I taught you everything you need to know. When you're able to start at the top and get all the way down in one shot, you mastered the technique and can take a long deserved rest." Hayate started to leave. "I'll see you at the finals."

"I'm glad we met," Dokuja said, as Hayate passed by. "Hopefully we see each other again soon."

"They're isn't a lot more I can teach you, but I could train myself new techniques and learn them along side you, what do you say?" Hayate replied, giving a faint smile.

"I like the sound of that. I'll see you in a few weeks. By then I will have this perfected. You can count on it!"

Hayate continued leaving. _This kid… is very special. He'll grow up to be a fine shinobi. I like to think of him as a son, due to being a competitive, strong, compassionate student. Hopefully I do see him again soon. _He thought as he continued to the village.

Dokuja decided he should head back and get some supplies and camp out here. He thought it would save him some time. Of course he didn't want to get lost on the way back, so he carved arrows pointing back to his new training grounds as he continued to the village.

About an hour and a half later he arrived and noticed Hinata and Neji Hyuuga standing by his door, knocking. "You guys need something?" He asked. Both of them turned around quickly. "Hey Hinata, you okay? After what happened in the preliminaries, I was starting to get worried." He gave Neji a glare of disgust. "Anyway, why are you guys here?"

"Well, seeing how you fought in that match with that Sand ninja, I figured that weapon of yours would do some good in Hinata's training. Can you try and fix it in to your schedule?" Neji asked, but Dokuja didn't really trust him. It seemed clear that Neji just wanted to see his techniques before the finals and come up with a strategy to beat it.

"I can't really do that yet. I have to train to master a technique before the finals. But after the tournament is over I'm free, if that works for you."

"That will be fine." Hinata spoke. "We'll see if it's okay with father."

"I guess I'll see you two later."

"I'll see you in the finals, if you make it that is." Neji had to make a wise crack.

"I would worry about myself if I were you. I can wipe the floor with Sasuke twenty times over before he could even get a hit on me."

"I wouldn't underestimate him. He is an Uchia, after all."

"So what? What's the big deal? That doesn't make him invincible or anything."

"Yes, but who knows what jutsu he learned so far on his training."

"That's a remaining variable. Well, I got to get some supplies before I go out training again, so I'm afraid you'll have to get going."

"Good luck in the finals." Hinata said as they both walked off.

"Thanks." Dokuja replied as he went back into his house. Once he got in he grabbed a tent, some food, dishes, chopsticks, bottled water, and some other miscellaneous items before he started writing a note to hang on his door while he was away, just in case anyone was looking for him. After that he head out to Shuuri Jitai Rock, his new training grounds, for the remaining weeks he had left before the Finals began.

The next morning Dokuja woke from inside his tent and made some breakfast before he tried the Crescent Moon Dance again. _Okay, Hayate said I needed to get from the top of this rock to the bottom for me to master this jutsu. I might as well get started then. _Dokuja thought as he got into his stance. He started to focus his chakra into his katana again. It showed the same black glow as before. The clones did there job, and Dokuja was at the tip of the boulder. He started to cut through it and his sword was ripping through it as he started down to the ground, then he started having some problems… Dokuja was about a fifth of the way down when a stone fragment hit his wrist and sent him backward, tumbling down to the dirt under him, sword falling next to him. He hit the ground hard, and received a searing headache. Looking up at what he accomplished, he was worried that he wouldn't master the technique in time for the exam's tournament. _Yeah, I obviously have a long way to go. This technique is more difficult then when Oroch- _The thought of his name brought back horrible memories, especially of the day when Markue-Rae left him for the psychopathic member of the Sannin. A few seconds later Sasuke came up the trail, apparently he was looking for him.

"So there you are," Sasuke said, still walking towards him. Dokuja flipped back on his feet and gripped his blade as he withdrew it from its position in the stone ground at his feet.

"What do you want?" Dokuja replied, turning to look at him. "You didn't come here to figure out what I was training on did you?"

"Look, the only reason I came here is because Kakashi wanted me to come and get you. Apparently he wants you to come down for some sort of meeting. He said it was urgent and to get you immediately."

_What could be so important to interrupt Sasuke's training? _Dokuja couldn't come up with an answer, but if Kakashi needed him, he needed him ASAP. "Then I might want to get going. Where is this meeting taking place?"

"Over at the Hokage's main hall, room Three-Twenty-Four, third floor up."

"Got it." Dokuja started leaping through the rocky ridge to the meeting, but Sasuke stayed behind.

_It looks as if he's training out here, _Sasuke thought, looking at the damaged rock. _What could he be planning to use against me? I better keep an eye out for anything new. _A few moment's later Sasuke left. The rock repaired itself when he was out of sight.

About an hour later Dokuja arrived at the meeting, opening the door smoothly. "What is this meeting about?" Dokuja said, gazing around the room. All of the Jonin and Chunin were present, the Hokage at the front of the room. "Apparently I missed something important, didn't I?"

"This is hard to put into words, but it has to be said." Kakashi said, standing up slowly. "I'll put this as simple as possible, but in words that will make it easier on you. You see-"

"Just cut to the chase, Kakashi," Asuma said, interrupting. "Delaying this won't make it any easier on him."

"It sounds like somebody accused me of being a spy. What's going on?" Dokuja was utterly confused.

"Hayate," Kakashi continued. "Died last night. Murdered by a Sand shinobi."

Dokuja was having a nightmare all over again, like what happened to Markue-Rae. Only there was no bringing him back.

Author's note: Okay, now I'm seriously at my limit. Somebody _**PLEASE **_review with there thoughts on how this story is going so far or I'm going to go nuts. I really want 3 reviews before I send in the next chapter. No, seriously. I need to know if this is good or bad or I won't be able to post any more. I don't mean to act selfish or anything, but all I have in reviews so far are for the first two chapters and all they do is go on and on about my verb tense not being perfect. I need reviews. My SISTER is doing better than me, it's humiliating!


	15. The Friend That Is Lost

Third Chronicle:

The Finals

Dokuja woke the next morning, deciding on what he wanted to do for the day, due to completing his training for the Final Tournament tomorrow. He started to think about what Hinata and Neji asked him a few weeks earlier. _Maybe later, _Dokuja thought. _Since I still have some time on hand, I'll try to learn something original, something no one has ever seen. Something quick, but still able to do some damage and possibly change the terrain to my advantage. I'll need to learn how to control the Black Phoenix's chakra better and spread it around my body evenly. That wouldn't take very long, because I can control all of my demon's chakra well, but not great when it comes to distributing it all around in different places of my body simultaneously. That would make a pretty good technique to use on Sasuke. _Dokuja kept coming up with more jutsu as he grabbed a scroll from his table and started writing them down.

Meanwhile Hinata was training relentlessly out in the forest, tired as most people would be at this point. _I wonder why Neji thought Dokuja would help with my training… _Hinata, utterly confused, was deep in thought. She didn't understand why Dokuja was so special to help with her training. She kept focused on her improvement as she continued to come up with possible explanations.

About that present time Dokuja was also in the forest, training to wield his demon's chakra in different points of his body at the same time. He was also working on all the techniques he wrote down previously. He had two of the five learned so far, working on the third. _I'll probably need to put off some of these techniques until after the finals, but at least I'll learn a few more, that should cut it. _He continued focusing the Phoenix's chakra through his body, and he mostly had the hang of it already. He needed to work on concentrating it in his legs, but that was the only problem. He continued doing this over and over until he finally could perfect it. The chakra started to burn the ground below him until he started sinking through. He soon stopped and moved from his position as he looked down at the hole that was made. _I think that I can control my chakra pretty well. A little TOO well maybe, but the more the merrier. _He turned to leave as he noticed a glimmer of light reflect up out of the corner of his eye. _Okay, I'm now officially freaked out. Curious, but still freaked out. _He kneeled and started to wipe away some of the dirt and uncovered a small black chest with some rusty gold lacing around the edges and by the lid. _Since when did my life become a pirate story? Oh well, I might as well open it now. _Dokuja slowly opened the trunk witch held a gauntlet style hand claw on a stand made of gold. The weapon had two red blades and a black wrist guard. On it was an illustration of a dragon colored bright red. Dokuja gave a low whistle. _Now this may be freaky, but in a good way. _Dokuja carefully lifted the odd claw and assumed to put it on his right hand, witch surprisingly fit perfectly. _This is really starting to get spooky. Either this is an act of God, or this is a dream. Only one way to find out. _Dokuja used the weapon on a nearby tree and sure enough it bored right through. He removed the blades slowly as if it was fragile. _Thank you God!! _ Dokuja praised in thought as he put the hand claw back in its proper place, closed the chest and started home. A few minutes later he ran into Hinata, still training, also panting like a dog. "Well, nice seeing you here," Dokuja said, emerging from the brush and trees behind her. She turned her head, slowly due to her being worn out.

"Oh," Hinata replied, startled of his presence. "What brings you here?"

"I was just on my way home when I saw you training." Dokuja analyzed her battered hands. They were shuttering, as if she was training for hours without breaks. Hinata couldn't help but notice the chest under his arm.

"Um … What are you holding?"

"Oh, this?" He held up the chest. "You'll need to keep it a secret until the finals if I tell you. Will you be able to keep this hidden from everyone until then?"

"Sure."

"Alright then," Dokuja placed the chest on a nearby rock as he eased the lid open, revealing the newly discovered weapon. "I found this buried in the forest not too far from here. It's in perfect condition, both blades sharper than the thinnest katana. It seems rare, almost majestic."

"This could really be worth something. You shouldn't have it out in the open like this where others can see it."

"I know, I'm taking it straight home and locking it in a safe I have in my room. I'll have to catch you later." Dokuja closed the trunk and dashed off home.

A few minutes later he already was at home and putting the hand claw in a safe above his bed. _This will be useful in the finals, but for now it's best if it stays in a locked safe. _Dokuja thought, placing a fake sheet of wallpaper over the safe and jumped down to the floor again. He started downstairs as he heard someone knocking at the door. He opened it and noticed Sakura standing in front of him.

"Hi," Dokuja said, almost unsure why she stopped by. "What brings you here?"

"Well," Sakura replied. "I noticed you weren't here for the past few weeks, so I decided to see how your training was going."

"It's going pretty well. I already learned a few new jutsu and I should be ready for the match with Sasuke tomorrow."

"Good luck. You'll need it to beat Sasuke." Sakura get's somewhat of a depressed look.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's just that," Sakura pauses. "I'm not sure who to cheer for. You or Sasuke. I really wish that you two didn't have to fight each other like this. I don't want you to lose, but I can't let Sasuke win either. It's tearing me apart. I don't know what to do…"

"Let me tell you this. You don't have to root for either of us. Just watch the match and whatever happens is how it was meant to be."

"Thanks, I needed to hear that. Oh, I almost forgot. Naruto's stopping by as well. He said he'd meet us here before we started training together."

"Training? He wants to spar with me? Unexpected, but who can change Naruto's mind when he get's set on training?"

"Nobody I know!" Both of them giggled a little.

"Come on in, I want to show you something I found this afternoon." Letting her in, Dokuja started back up to his room. "It's up here. Make yourself comfortable while I get it." Sakura sat down while Dokuja darted to his room, got in his safe and grabbed the chest. He brought it down, with a few remarks.

"It's beautiful!" Sakura couldn't help but comment. "Where'd you find it?"

"Out I the forest, buried in the ground where I was training earlier."

"It looks pretty old."

"That I'm not sure of, but you're right, it's probably old. But who cares about the outside?" Dokuja placed the trunk on the table. "What really matters is the inside." He opens the lid revealing the hand claw. Sakura gasped in astonishment.

"Whoa, this could be worth a fortune!"

"Yes it could, but I'm keeping it. It could be useful in the future."

"What do you plan on using it for?"

"Most likely in the finals, then it would be that much easier to become a Chunin."

"You… don't plan on using it on Sasuke, do you?" Sakura became slightly worried.

"Only if it comes down to my limit. I won't use it if I don't have to. Even if I did I know you would get upset if I killed him, but that won't happen anytime soon."

"Whew, that's a relief."

"Sakura, don't worry. Even if my life depended on it I would never kill a friend or comrade, that's my ninja way." Dokuja put the hand claw away. "But there's one thing I need you to do for me."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Don't tell Naruto about this. If you do he'll probably keep nagging me about it until he sees it."

"Right." Just then Naruto started to knock at the door.

"Oh crap…" Dokuja grabbed the chest and darted up the stairs. "Go ahead and get the door. I'll be down in a minute. Dokuja tossed the chest onto his bed and locked the door behind him. He came down to meet Naruto and Sakura shortly after.

"Finally," Naruto said. "What took you so long?"

"I guess you could say I was 'delayed'."

"Well, what are we standing around here for? Let's go!!" Naruto dashed off leaving a small trail of floating dust behind him.

"Enthusiasm, one of the very few specialties Naruto has to offer." Dokuja made a wise remark.

"They don't call him the Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja for nothing!" Sakura jumped into the act making another brilliant wise crack.

"Now I'm scared. After you."

Sakura started to laugh. "You're fighting him, not me!"

"I can see why. One: Look at him. He's nuts! Two: Who could harm someone as kind as you? It would practically be a crime!"

Sakura didn't want to admit it, but his words were touching. She almost started to blush.

"That's what you are for this squad. You are the reason they push on and protect the ones they care for most. You inspire them to thrive in life just by complimenting them and just being there when they need you. And that's all you need to ever do. People like you are hard to come across. And, to tell you the truth," There was a short pause as a gust of wind came across. "You remind me of Markue-Rae." Dokuja started to walk in the direction Naruto swiftly fled. "We better get going, before we lose track of Naruto!"

Sakura, barely able to respond due to going back on everything she did for her team, soon caught up with Dokuja as they walked side by side to wherever Naruto sprinted off to. _Dokuja, thank you… _Sakura thought as they set off. _You… don't know how much that meant to me._

"Man, Naruto can run when he wants to, can't he? I can't even see him anymore!" Dokuja looked yards ahead but still couldn't even see a glimpse of his hair or outfit, bright as it is. "What did he do? Drink three liter of coffee or something? Geez, can he ever slow down for once?" Just then Naruto appeared in front of them both, anxious as ever.

"Come on! What are you walking so slow for? We going to do this or not?" Naruto said, running in place.

"Naruto, do we really have to do this today? The Finals are tomorrow, we should wait until then." Dokuja said.

"He's right Naruto; even you need some rest before you're match with Neji." Sakura continued to state. "And you might even fight Sasuke in the next round if you get some rest to get your strength back."

"You do have a point," Naruto replied, with a grunt of disappointment. "But that means I would only fight one or the other."

"Then you'll take the other one on after the finals, simple as that."

"Fine." Naruto agreed to they're terms as a group of the medical core started rushing up the road. Naruto noticed them first, and instantly became frightened.

"Naruto, you didn't sneak out of the hospital again, did you?" Dokuja said, staring down at the rushing mob, closing in.

"There isn't time for the details, I have to go!!!" Naruto started sprinting as fast as he could, but wasn't gaining any ground; in fact he wasn't even moving. Dokuja had a hold of his jacket's collar as he was slowly dragged to the medics and rushed back to the hospital. "Hey, let go! C'mon, be a friend, not an enemy!"

"I am being a friend. If the medics need you to heal, then you're going to stay with them or I'll make sure you're pulled from the exams."

"Now you're talking like Shino! And you know what? Everyone HATES HIM!!"

"At least he knows that training like crazy constantly is not what's going to win the tournament tomorrow." Dokuja tossed Naruto over to the medics. "Make sure if he runs again he's disqualified from the finals."

"We will," One of the medics replied, holding Naruto in a choke hold. "Thank you for recovering him for us."

"Trust me, it was my pleasure."

Naruto started growling things at random, possibly cursing at Dokuja, but nothing was clear as he was dragged away.

"Naruto really needs to grow up." Sakura pointed out to Dokuja, watching Naruto struggle. "He's almost embarrassing the entire village by sneaking out every time he goes to the hospital."

"My thought's exactly. I really should go with them and guard him before he does something retarded again."

"Dokuja, there's something I want to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Well, I don't want to upset you, but what was Markue-Rae like?"

"You could talk about her in present tense you know, she isn't dead, just with Orochimaru. She will always be the same, under any circumstances."

"Oh, sorry."

"Well, to get to the point, she's an angel. Kind, caring, responsible, and a hell of a fighter too. Not to mention she's the first person that ever treated me like a normal guy, demons and all. That's why I need to get her back from Orochimaru ASAP. She would do the same for me, so I'll do it for her. She saved me from myself, if you look distantly. You see, nobody ever cared about me before until I met her. Everyone treated me as a freak, an absolute burden on the village. They just ignored me because they didn't want me near them in the first place. They turned they're backs on me whenever I walked by. Then when she came along, my life was changed. I actually made a friend that I could talk to and actually would listen to what I had to say. The day when we found out we were teammates was the best day of my life. Back then we actually took a shine on each other as if we were family and she was my sister. We got along well, rarely ever fought. We completed many missions together, mainly B-rank and a few A-ranks. We were the best team of our age for assassinations, stealth operations, and other things that involve enemy ninja. If I wanted to, I could take on a few Jonin at once and Markue-Rae could almost take as many. I was the best in the offensive, but Markue-Rae was the best on defense. I could get mortally wounded after a battle I end quickly but she would take longer and get only a few scratches. Combined were practically invincible. That's why I need to get her out of her father's hands and get her back here. Without her I'm incomplete, useless. And in Orochimaru's hands, who knows what he might do to the poor soul? First, I get her back, and then I kill the bastard. Or vise versa, witch ever comes first. Depends who I see sooner."

"That will happen. I'm sure of it!" Full of confidence, Sakura replied. _I just hope Markue-Rae comes back to the village. And comes back to you…_

"Now that's the spirit I need most."

"I better get going, I promised my mom I would be home early to help with her errands. I'll see you at the finals. Good luck!" Sakura darted off, and Dokuja walked back into his home, taking it easy until the next morning.


	16. Sasuke vs Dokuja! An All Out Bloodbath!

The next morning Dokuja woke up around eight and got a quick breakfast before suiting up for the tournament this afternoon. As soon as he grabbed his mask and sword, he went back up to his room to finally withdraw the newest to his collection. He opened the chest and took the weapon off of its gold-plated stand and started toward the arena. On his way up the road he noticed Hinata from the distance, relaxed from the workout she pushed herself on. "Well, looks like I'm not the only early riser in the village." Dokuja spoke, startling Hinata a bit.

"Oh, good morning." Hinata, not expecting company at this hour, replied. "What are you doing up this early? The finals aren't until eleven."

"I know, but I can't wait any longer to slaughter the Uchia. What about you? Why are you out here by yourself at this hour?"

"I just thought I should get some training in before I watch the finals of the Chunin exam." Just about then, Kiba appeared from the bushes and brush behind them.

"Isn't this a pleasant surprise," Kiba started, staring at Dokuja. "Ready for the finals already? Boy, even I wouldn't be this anxious for anything. You must really be looking forward to this match between you and Sasuke aren't you?"

"You could say that, sure." Dokuja turned to see him as Akamaru jumped into Kiba's arms. "I can't wait until I finally show I'm the best in this village."

"Hey, the best of the best is standing right in front of you, right Akamaru?" The small dog replied with a bark.

"This is coming from the man that got beaten by Naruto in the preliminaries."

"Hey, he just got in a few lucky shots in, that's all!"

"Whatever you say."

"Anyway, you won't win against an Uchia that easily, so stay on you're toes."

"Trust me, I will. Either way, I want you two to keep an eye open for anything suspicious."

"And why should we?"

"I don't know. Something just doesn't seem right to me at the moment. I have a feeling something's up. Just try and see if anything unusual happens."

"You can count on us!"

"We want to know if anything's wrong before it starts, so keep you're eyes sharp. It's ten thirty; I better get to the arena. Wish me luck!"

"Don't hold your breath."

A few minutes passed and Dokuja just arrived at the arena. Neji, Temari, Kankuro, Shino, and Shikimaru were also present at the time. The proctor, Genma, was standing behind them. "Welcome to the Chunin Selection Exam Finals. Please stand next to Shino in a straight and orderly line and wait for the other combatants to arrive." Dokuja did as Genma ordered. As he was walking past, the two Sand Shinobi stepped in front of him.

"What do you guys want?" Dokuja asked, in a slightly disrespectful tone. "Is this about the death of your comrade, Gaara was his name right?"

"What do you know; you're not as dumb as you look." Temari remarked. "Let's just say you won't live on past today. As I heard wise men say; the lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice."

"If you're trying to pick a fight, pray you make it in the finals. Then you can attempt and fail at revenge."

"You have a lot of nerve." Kankuro couldn't help but make a wise crack at him. "Just because you took down Gaara doesn't mean you can take us. And besides, by the way Gaara fought, he took it easy on you. Thought he could beat you by doing almost nothing."

"And this is supposed to help you how? That's just another example of the Leaf Village being better than your own." Dokuja went around them without uttering another word.

"Don't worry Kankuro; what he doesn't know won't kill him."

A long time passed and they were almost ready to start when Naruto charged through the entrance. "I swear there's a huge stampede of bulls chasing me through that door!" Naruto kept on shouting like a lunatic about a bunch of bulls almost killing him and coming this way, but obviously nothing came through the entrance hall and everyone stared at him in practical humility.

_Looks like this bull stampede continues to be stored in the huge pile of bull shit Naruto made. _Dokuja thought in his head, almost saying it aloud. Naruto got up and took his place next to Neji as the proctor started explaining the rules. It was just like the preliminary matches a month ago: anything goes and the winner is decided after they're opponent is unable to continue or dies. Naruto and Neji stayed on the field as the rest of them continued up the stairs to the right to watch the match. Dokuja took a seat in a corner by a wall and sharpened his blade in preparation. He got bored a few minutes later and watched the match. He got in at the right time: Naruto's chakra was swarming around him, but it was red instead of blue. _I guess I'm not the only one with an inner demon. That chakra can only belong to the strongest of the tailed beasts: The Nine-Tailed Fox…_ Dokuja kept watching in astonishment. Naruto was charging at Neji with a kunai in hand, Neji was also armed and stood still as some chakra surrounded him. He was preparing his 8 Trigrams Palm Rotation. They both collided in a massive explosion. Once the smoke cleared he noticed Neji get out of his hole on the right and walked over to Naruto, lying unconscious in the dirt. "Is that all Naruto really has? You're kidding. And he wanted to spar with me yesterday. What a joke!" Dokuja was still mocking him.

"Don't count him out just yet." Shikimaru stepped forward next to him. Just then something came out of the ground and knocked Neji for a loop. The real Naruto came out of the ground and socked Neji in the jaw with a left hook. The other Naruto in the hole disappeared. "Naruto always has something up his sleeve to win it."

Dokuja looked around the booth for Sasuke, but he wasn't anywhere in sight. "Sasuke's still not here yet? He is either chickening out or he's dead."

"I make a third option: He's just late." Shikimaru, negative as he is when it comes to work and fighting others, was staying positive.

"Or that. What's you're name?"

"Shikimaru Nara. And by looking at you I have a pretty good hunch that you're Dokuja, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's me. Tell me when he show's up. I'll be over there sharpening my blade. If I have enough time I'll give it a good polish while I'm at it."

"Go ahead. I'm not stopping you." Shikimaru walked away as Dokuja went back to where he was before and continued sharpening his blades.

About twenty minutes later, after the first round besides the match with Sasuke and Dokuja has ended, Sasuke was almost disqualified when he appeared with Kakashi at his side. "Hey, Dokuja!" Shikimaru shouted. "He finally showed up and the crowd is roaring for the match to start."

"Going down." Dokuja leaping past the bar of the booth landed on the field opposite of Sasuke. "You ready or are you going to pick up you're dry cleaning before we start?" Just then Naruto shouted to Sasuke.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto began as Sasuke looked up. "Don't lose. 'Cause I want to fight you myself."

"Got it." Sasuke replied.

"Don't hold you're breath Naruto, he won't win that easily." Dokuja withdrew his blade, eager to finally get started. Sasuke stared at him, also prepared to fight at a moment's notice.

"I see you two and the crowd is ready to finally get the show on the road, so I'll just be going now." Kakashi said, disappearing into the stands of cheering fans and excited futile lords.

"You two both know the rules. Get ready," The proctor began as both of them took there stance.

"Let's see what the last of the Uchia clan has got," Dokuja began, withdrawing his blade.

"You don't need to hold back," Sasuke replied. "If you do this won't be a good match, for you or the audience."

"Take your own advice. If you hold back against me you'd be dead in three minutes."

"Come and try me!"

"Don't tempt me."

"Begin!" The proctor finished. Both of them charged at each other the second he said the word. Dokuja lashed with his blade multiple times, but they were all narrowly dodged. Sasuke attempted to counter, but Dokuja's left hand grabbed his fist at the last moment, sending him back.

"I have to admit, you're a lot faster than before. I'm almost impressed." Dokuja gripped his blade tightly.

"Well I never saw you use that blade of yours like it was an ordinary sword. Looks like we both learned a lot in the past month." Sasuke grabbed a few shuriken in a pouch on his left leg.

"I did learn more than just close range sword fighting, so don't get cocky." Dokuja made a few hand signs, ending with a Tiger seal. "After all, Ninjutsu is one of my specialties."

"So, you know Fire Style techniques. I guess you must've learned this back in the Forest of Death."

"That's right. Fire Style: Flaming Rose Jutsu!!" As in the forest, five black flames appeared and surrounded Sasuke and commenced an ultra-violent rotation when they approached, creating a giant tornado of fire swarming around the arena. Most of the spectators awed at its power. When it ended, all that was left where Sasuke was standing was a pile of scorched logs. "No use in hiding, but you managed to evade my jutsu with a substitution. That isn't easy for a guy like you or me. It's practically impervious, due to the pressure of the rotation and the heat making it almost impossible to make a single hand sign. No matter; I'll just have to find you by force." Dokuja grabbed a kunai knife with a paper bomb tied to the end, but he kept it concealed. Just about then a few fireballs came from out of a nearby tree. Dokuja dodged them all, still keeping an eye on the location of origin, and tossed the kunai over in that direction. Sure enough Sasuke leaped from his hiding place before the bomb exploded. When Dokuja got a good look at his eyes, he noticed he activated his Sharingan.

"You have good reflexes, but are you able to keep up with me now, I wonder…"

"You got the guts to test that theory?"

"Do you have the courage?"

"Hell yeah!" Dokuja came in for a frontal attack; witch was a rather rash action. Sasuke saw him coming a mile away and blocked every blow thrown at him. He attempted to counter, but when he came close to a connection, Dokuja disappeared in a flash, appearing behind him. "You almost had me there, but still not enough!" Dokuja gave Sasuke a kick to the stomach, following with another from the side, sending him into the nearest wall. Sasuke coughed up a little blood after impact, but nothing fatal. "Is that all the great Uchia clan can dish out? You're obviously not worthy of your family name. Let's just end this quick." Dokuja made a few hand signs. He placed his hands one over the other on his left side. Sasuke watched closely, not knowing what he was planning to do.

_What's his next move? _Sasuke thought, utterly confusing himself. Just then a small orb of water appeared in Dokuja's hands. _A Water Style jutsu? How many types of techniques can he wield? _

"I guess you noticed that it's a Water Style jutsu already." Dokuja said, with the liquid still in a perfect sphere. "Now you'll fell what I can throw at you." Then, in a mere second, a small stream of water sprayed from the orb and targeted Sasuke's motionless body. As it progressed onward, it started to take the impression of a snake with its fangs bared wide. It continued to Sasuke and bit his right arm, blood slowly dripping out of him.

_Got to break this… I don't know what it is. _Sasuke said, withdrawing a kunai. He slashed at the creature, but it didn't break, only bent. _Why didn't it pierce through? It must be enlaced in chakra to protect it from harm. This jutsu must be difficult to master. _"Tell me, what is this technique of yours?" Sasuke asked, getting a sudden jolt of pain in his wounded arm.

"It's one of my originals." Dokuja replied, water now around his arm, up to his shoulder. "I call it Water Boa Jutsu. As you might have guessed, it's covered in a veil of chakra to keep it from coming apart. I can control it's every move just by moving my arm or hand." Dokuja clenched his fist, the snake bit down harder. Blood gorged out of Sasuke's arm as he tumbled to his knees. "It has many uses, but it does get rather boring after awhile. I'll cut you some slack and just end it now. And before I do, a small gift is in favor." Dokuja pulled his arm back, and the boa pulled Sasuke towards him. Dokuja used his other arm to send Sasuke back to the wall with a blow to his mid chest. Sasuke again choked blood from his now red mouth and throat. He caught himself before he hit the wall as he sprinted upward and stopped about twenty feet up the wall. He made a few hand signs and put his arm in a downward position, his other hand supporting it. _I see. So you mastered that jutsu already? This should be interesting. I seen that same jutsu before, and if you think you can score a blow with it you're dead wrong. _Dokuja thought, preparing himself to counter the upcoming Chidori.


	17. Retraction Read this before chapter 15

Okay everyone; this is just a retraction message, not an actual chapter. I just figured out one of my chapters (number 15) was screwed up and accidentally deleted. Therefore I'll bring you up to speed on what I had in that chapter:

Dokuja trained again with Hayate, and failed miserably to hit him.

Hayate started to teach Dokuja Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance.

Hayate takes Dokuja to Shuuri Jitai rock, a self repairing boulder in order to learn the Crescent Moon Dance.

Dokuja gains word that Hayate died by the hands of a Sand shinobi

Dokuja masters the technique Hayate taught him a few days before the Chunin Exams.

Sorry for the inconvenience, it won't happen again. Now you're officially up to speed. Enjoy the rest of the story!


	18. The Beginning Of The End

"Here is my true power." Sasuke said from above, still charging his Chidori to maximum strength.

"You honestly think you can beat me with THAT?" Dokuja mocked. "Pathetic. This is the worst opponent I ever faced. And trust me I had some pretty bad adversaries."

"I've had enough of you!" Sasuke threw his left arm behind him as he started to charge at Dokuja at full speed. Dokuja just stood at the ready, aiming for an opening.

"Just keep talking while I beat the tar out of you. It shouldn't take long." Sasuke came closer and closer to his target. He was only a few yards away when he thrusted his arm forward. A small blast from the concentrated chakra covered the area in a cloud of dirt. As it slowly moved away, Sasuke realized what Dokuja was planning. He completely brushed off the Chidori as if it was nothing.

"Wait, how did you…?" Sasuke started to ask, but couldn't finish.

"Like I said. That technique is really powerful, but easy to see coming. You need to work on you're speed and precision if you want to hit me with it. Now let's show you one of my newer jutsu." Dokuja threw Sasuke across the field, witch of course he landed on his feet. Dokuja summoned two clones, side by side, ready for the Crescent Moon Dance. All of them had their sword in hand as they sprinted to Sasuke. "Leaf Style:" Dokuja started as the clones jumped forth and the real him was nowhere in sight.

_What the, _Sasuke thought, staring in shock. _What the hell is this? I never thought he could learn to use anything of this sort. _Both of the clones disappeared, inches away from Sasuke. He looked in a few different directions, until he finally saw Dokuja lingering midair, sword with the same eerie glow as before. His sword was raised high above him, ready to send the final blow.

"Crescent Moon Dance!" Dokuja began to strike.

_I've got to stop him! _Sasuke, at the last second, stopped the blade from impact. It was trapped in his hands.

"Hayate taught Dokuja Crescent Moon Dance?" Kakashi said, up in the stands. "I thought he was teaching him how to use his sword at close range. Not to mention it's an ANBU level jutsu. Teaching it to a Genin in less than a month…"

"I know what you mean," Guy replied, standing next to him, also with the crippled Lee. "You teaching Sasuke Chidori was one thing, but this is just insane. What was going through Hayate's head when he tried this?"

Down in the field Sasuke still had the blade in between his clapped hands, when a small stream of smoke came from them. He quickly threw the blade and Dokuja back, yelling in pain. He glanced at his burned hands, still steaming, not to mention useless to him. He couldn't move them because of the pain. "Stings, doesn't it?" Dokuja mocked. "Take a good look at my sword." Sasuke did, finally noticing the odd coloring.

"Chakra? You focused chakra into the metal alloy to increase its power? I guess this is the burn of the Phoenix's chakra, am I right?"

"On the money. Not to mention that until you get an antidote to the poison that actually made the burns, you can't use them. Say goodbye to that pathetic jutsu of yours!"

"Actually," Sasuke pulled out a small bottle, apparently with medicine in it. "Kakashi told me that you might pull a stunt like this and gave me that very substance. The Phoenix has chakra that's more poisonous than snake venom, correct?" Sasuke took a quick drink from the bottle, as his burns slowly went away. Just then smoke started pouring out of the Hokage's booth.

"You have pretty good timing. Look up there!" Dokuja pointed up towards where the Hokage was sitting. Sasuke quickly looked up, noticing that something was up. "See ya!" Dokuja leaped up to the commotion, and Sasuke continued in a different direction and scouted the village walls for any other trouble. About then the Kazekage, visiting to watch the exams at that time had the Hokage in a hold and a kunai at his throat as he jumped out of the smoke enshrouded booth. Dokuja, stunned at what he just seen, hesitated and stopped. The Kazekage with his hostage went on the roof. A few Sound ninja were fighting some ANBU Black Ops to stop them from interfering with the Kazekage's scheme. Four more Sound ninja came out and were in an odd formation, each of them made hand signs and cast an unusual jutsu.

"Ninja Art: Four Flames Formation!!" Each of them said as a wall surrounded the Kazekage and Hokage, as if it was an arena. One of the ANBU tried to walk through, but was instantly set ablaze and tumbled down the roof. Dokuja leaped up on the roof himself, analyzing the situation. All the ANBU could do was watch the battle.

_Damn, _Dokuja thought, wishing this wasn't happening. _I got to do something, or this will not end well. That barrier will send me to a painful Hell, literally setting me on fire. C'mon Dokuja, think. Think, damn it! If I touch that, I'd be burned to a crisp. Wait a minute, that's it! _Dokuja approached the barrier, slowly.

"Don't try getting through!" One of the ANBU warned. "if you touch it, you'll die!"

"I know what I'm doing! But before I go, want to tell me about this guy's fighting style?"

"I don't know anything about the Kazekage's jutsu or fighting technique. All I know is that he's not someone you could take, even with the Hokage's help." A few seconds later The Kazekage started to literally rip off his face. Dokuja realized that he wasn't the real Kazekage. He was someone in some sort of disguise. Once he took it completely off, the ANBU and Dokuja realized who they were dealing with. The man behind the mask was none other than Orochimaru.Dokuja started to tense up, eyes narrowing in rage behind his mask. "That's… It can't be!" the ANBU said, in fear.

_Him… I waited for this day for so long… this is the day I finally kill that son of a bitch! _Dokuja continued towards the barrier.

"What are you doing!??! I just told you I you attempting to enter the fight is out of the question!"

"Would you just shut up!??! I know what I'm doing! I can get through. Trust me."

The ANBU hesitated. "If you can get passed that barrier, take out one of those four ninja so it will collapse and we can help you."

"Let me see what I can do on my own first. If I can't handle it, I'll get you in. After all, it might be best if you stayed on the side for now just in case he tries fleeing."

"Good enough. I wish you luck."

"Let's pray I'm right about this." Dokuja started to focus an outer layer of the Phoenix's chakra around his body and slowly stuck his hand through the barrier. The jutsu's effects sent flames to surround him, but the chakra prevented him from harm. He continued to pass through when one of the ninja noticed what he was doing.

"How is it… possible? Sakon! Somebody's getting through!" One of the ninja informed. He had six arms and apparently was the smart one of the group.

"What the hell!??! Get more power to the outer barrier NOW!!" Sakon, the ninja with an attitude and was most likely the leader of the group. He sent as much as he could to the area of witch Dokuja was penetrating.

_Almost there, _Dokuja thought, about halfway through the first of two different barriers. A surge of fire was sent through by the other ninja, and the pressure caught him off guard and sent him off balance. He recovered in a moment and threw himself inside the first barrier.

"He… He made it!" One of the ANBU said, impressed.

"Outstanding!" A second ANBU exclaimed.

"Only one more to pass through! You can do it!" The third ANBU, more excited than any of them, shouted.

"Impossible! How could he get passed this barrier? It's our strongest defensive jutsu taught by Orochimaru himself!" Taiyuya, another one of the ninja and the only female, was shocked as she watched Dokuja carefully.

_I actually made it through! Whoohoo! Now for the second barrier. I can't squeeze much more of the Phoenix's chakra, but it should be enough to get through the barrier, if not more. _Dokuja stepped toward the second barrier; chakra focused, and stuck his hand in the next wall.

"Jirobo, we need as much power as we can get! Focus all of your strength in the second barrier now!!" Sakon shouted, straining himself to keep Dokuja out.

_Running low on chakra, can't keep this up much longer… _Dokuja kept thinking about what he could do to help as he continued passing through. _Have to get passed this or die trying. I'm going to make it! _Around that second, a huge surge of flames hit him, almost stopping him, but only for a brief moment. Also the Third and Orochimaru noticed him coming through without a scratch. Dokuja, barely out of chakra, made it through and started breathing heavily.

"Impossible! How did that son of a bitch get through?" Sakon, blood boiling in his veins, shouted, cursing Dokuja multiple times.

"It's okay Sakon. After all, he's almost out of chakra. He's worthless to that old man against Orochimaru." Taiyuya tried calming him down, pissed off herself.

"I guess you're right. We should just keep up the barrier and let Orochimaru handle him."

_It can't be… _Orochimaru thought, staring at Dokuja with slightly narrow eyes. _He's able to pass through the Four Flames Formation? Let alone it had to be HIM…_

Dokuja, finally caught his breath, stood tall before his adversary. "Orochimaru," Dokuja started. "Long time no see. I suspect you're trying to destroy the village and the old man along with it, am I right? Well, you'll have to get through me before that could ever happen!"

"Go away brat," Orochimaru mocked. "You don't interest me at the moment. I'll save us both the trouble and let you walk away right now if you so choose."

"You're mistaken Orochimaru," Dokuja replied, stepping forward. "That would be the trouble for both of us. I'm not going to stand aside and watch the village that took me in burn down to rubble by your hands. Not after what you did to them already. Especially what you've already done to ME."

"You're still trying to take Markue-Rae from me? How absurd. The people like you on the battle field are quickly killed. That's what happened to the rest of you're pathetic clan! Tell me, are you still as stupid as them or are you more mature?"

"Don't mock me asshole!"

"I'll take that as you are still as decrepit as the rest of that worthless clan. They possessed so much power with that keckei-genkai of theirs, and look at them now. Groveling in the dirt like the filth that they are." Dokuja was not in the best mood with him at the moment. He clenched his fist as tight as he possibly could, and then tighter as he reached for his sword. "I'll warn you one final time. All of your feeble attempts to kill me are worthless. You don't even know half of my strength."

"You don't know me either." Dokuja said, gripping his sword. "I held back before, this time will be different."

"Dokuja," The Third said, finally able to say anything after Dokuja's break-in. "He's far above your level. You're no match against him! Leave now before he attacks."

"I would agree with the old man, kid." Orochimaru replied. "You're the weakest one that has ever tried to take me on."

"Then I guess I'm at a disadvantage, but even that won't pull me back." Dokuja said, pulling out the hand claw from the pouch and strapping it to his right hand. "And by the way your talking, it sounds like you're afraid to fight me."

"Afraid? Of you? Not in your life!" Orochimaru lunged at Dokuja, full speed. The Third tried to move in his way, but failed to get far enough. Dokuja was brutally hit, sent flying through the barrier behind him; set ablaze. "Pitiful. Why do I waste my energy on the likes of you? You're pathetic."

"Damn!" One of the ANBU shouted in anger.

"How? It ended so quickly!" Another ANBU questioned. Just then Dokuja hit the ground, but a cloud of smoke appeared around him and all that continued down the roof was some burning logs.

"A Substitution?" Orochimaru said, staring at the wood tumbling down the side of the building.

"Looking for someone?" Dokuja said, placing his blade at Orochimaru's neck.

"You're quite the persistent little devil aren't you?" Orochimaru replied, turning his head slightly.

"Yeah!!" An ANBU exclaimed, throwing his fist in the air.

_I can't believe it, _The Third thought, almost shocked at Dokuja's abilities. _Catching Orochimaru off guard like that, it's almost unheard of. But a Genin such as this pupil doing just that is practically improbable. Maybe I was wrong about him._

"Now, stop the attack on the village or feel the wrath of my blade."

"You really think that toy can stop me? What an insult!" Just then Orochimaru turned into a pile of stacked mud, drooping down. "It will take more than that toy of yours to stop me." The real Orochimaru appeared behind him, seeping from the ground. "You have gotten stronger since our last meeting."

"Can't say the same for you."

"Let's put that theory to the test. I can take you and the old man and barely even get a single wound."

"I can oblige. Ready Lord Hokage?" Dokuja cocked his head to look at him, and noticed him nodding.

"He's literally living our dream," One of the ANBU noted, watching the battle distinctively. "Fighting beside Lord Hokage must be quite a rush."

"I guess he'll need to stay on his toes." Another ANBU replied, also catching every detail. "After all, he is fighting Orochimaru. He can easily use a forbidden jutsu and catch him off guard. We'll just have to watch for now."

Dokuja stood next to the Third and faced Orochimaru, charging their chakra and prepared for battle. Dokuja could fell the energy in the air, pressing against him. _Man, that's a lot of chakra in the air, _He thought, almost shocked on how much chakra these two could dish out at once. _It looks like I'm in for a hell of a fight here. I might want to use all of my strongest jutsu I know when Orochimaru's cornered so I don't risk missing and save chakra in the process. I might even need to come up with more in the heat of battle. I might not be much help to the Hokage, but he'll need all the men he can get. Should I get those ANBU in here? No, not yet. Let them save their strength until I really need them so they can give Orochimaru a rush when he's tired. _The Third made the first move, making a hand sign and charging forth.

"Ninja Art: Tile Shuriken!" He shouted, as tiles from the roof peeled off of the roof and launched themselves towards Orochimaru, witch leaped in the air to avoid the barrage, also making a hand sign.

"Striking Shadow Snake!" Orochimaru opened his jaws wide and a snake came out of his throat. It lunged and bared its fangs as it bit into the Thirds neck. Dokuja came from behind and slashed his blade at Orochimaru's back. Although, he whipped around and blocked it with his hands. "How futile." He muttered.

"I'm not done!" Dokuja said, focusing chakra into his sword. It started to release from the handle and wrap around Orochimaru's body. Dokuja made another hand sign. "Secret Black Move: Needle Grave!!" Just then senbon outlined the chain of his blade. Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Watch me." Dokuja slowly moved his hand to his left side. "Strike!" He then swiftly lashed his arm to the right and the senbon went into the chain and into Orochimaru's body simultaneously. He screamed in pain as blood gorged from his hole-punched body.

"Impressive," One of the ANBU watching said. "That jutsu ensnares their target and literally tortures them as if they were trapped animals. That level of jutsu is outrageously hard even for us." Dokuja used his sword and threw Orochimaru down to the cement roof as hard as he could. The impact broke a pit into the outer layer of the buildings top.

"I almost had to work for that." Dokuja mocked, coming down and towards Orochimaru's motionless body. "Had it already? How pathetic. I didn't even use one of my best jutsu. Such a pity." Dokuja raised his hand claw high. Just then Orochimaru gripped his wrist and stood slowly because of all the pain.

"I…let…my guard down…" Orochimaru said, breathing hard.

"It's a miracle you can still move, let alone breathe." _Something isn't right… _Dokuja thought, unknowing if this was real. _Even after all of that, Orochimaru would stand quickly and counterattack, but so far it seems as if it was a… Oh hell!! _Dokuja swiftly made a hand sign. "Release!" The fake image made by the Genjutsu faded, and Orochimaru lunged at him, the Grass Longsword in hand. Dokuja ducked down, narrowly escaping a fatal blow to the chest and taking a shoulder wound.

"That was incredibly close," One of the ANBU witnesses said. "Putting a Genjutsu on him like that is not your average technique."

"Well, he is Orochimaru. I'm not surprised." One of the other ANBU replied.

"You actually released the Genjutsu and dodged the worst. You're actually starting to impress me, even though you still received an injury." Orochimaru mocked.

_I can't believe I fell for something like that. _Dokuja thought, gripping his wounded shoulder. _I have to keep a sharper eye out or this won't be pretty. _Just then the Third threw some shuriken and made a hand sign.

"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!!" The shuriken rapidly multiplied midair, but Orochimaru made his own hand sign.

"Secret Jutsu: Reanimation!!" Orochimaru shouted. The Third stopped, and Dokuja was confused.

"Uh, could someone fill me in on this Reanimation thing? I do not know anything on it at all…" Dokuja waited for a reply, but received none.

"First!!" Orochimaru shouted as a coffin of some kind spawned from the ground. "Second!!" Another coffin appeared beside the first, to act as a shield from the shuriken. "Third!!" Another coffin was coming through, but the Third made a hand sign and stopped it somehow. Dokuja was still confused. He ran beside the Third.

"Lord Third, could you do me a favor and tell me about this Reanimation thing?" Dokuja asked staring at the coffin duo.

"I think it will explain itself in a second." The Third replied, rather worried about what was yet to come. The coffin tops fell off, revealing their captives: The First and Second Hokage. They stepped forward, showing themselves.

"Aw shit……" Dokuja said, finally understanding what was going on.

Author's Note: What happens next? That's for me to know and for you to find out as soon as I get five reviews! (Not including the two I had previously) Get them in ASAP or the next chapter and the rest will be sealed with me forever. No, seriously. Hit the Review button and send one to me. It's right under this note. Tell me any comments you have. Once I get five is when the next chapter comes out. (I know I sound evil, but I never got any reviews since last month and need more) I leave the rest and the fate of the story to you. Make the right decision and send one in to keep the story alive!


	19. Two Demons! War of the Damned!

"What's going on?" The Second Hokage, or at least his body, said looking around.

"It appears Orochimaru used the forbidden Reanimation technique." The First replied.

"Does this mean we need to fight you, Sarutobi? Such a rush we'll give you, three on two. However, orders are orders. We will attack without mercy."

"Now you've done it," Sarutobi, or The Third Hokage, said to his unnatural student. "You disrespected the dead and disrupted the laws of science."

"I always thought you were too sensitive to the dead souls of this life. However, I don't give a damn what you want or feel, Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru, giving an evil grin, mocked, placing a kunai with some sort of red tag on it inside each of the Hokage's heads, as they regained their actual color, they prepared for attack.

"Lord Hokage, you handle those two walking dead." Dokuja said to the Third, as if he were planning something. "Orochimaru," He gave his freakish opponent an evil glare. "Is mine!!"

"I can't do that," The Third replied. "Orochimaru is too far above your level. He's one of the legendary Sannin. You cannot take him on your own!"

"And I could take those two? I don't think so!"

Sarutobi understood his point. "Very well, but be on your guard."

"Don't worry about me; I'm only taking ONE man. You are trying to kill two of your predecessors. I'd be worried for yourself, if I were you."

"Sarutobi-sensei, you honestly believe he, of all people, can beat me head-to-head? What an insult!" Orochimaru prepared himself for all incoming attacks.

"I've had enough of you!" Dokuja shouted, charging forth, sword in hand. The two undead Hokage's attempted to stop him, but Sarutobi used one of his Fire style to keep them focused on their real opponent. Meanwhile Dokuja continued to attack Orochimaru at full force. He started to slash with his sword, but it was easily avoided. He followed through with a few different punches, but they were all avoided the same as the first. He tried a sweeping kick, but Orochimaru again dodged the blow and grasped Dokuja's neck.

"How futile…You really are as worthless as that clan of yours, aren't you?" Orochimaru mocked, slowly raising Dokuja higher. "Having a twerp like you take me on is nothing more than suicide. Surely many men and women taught you that here in this pathetic village and in the Cloud village. Admit it brat!" Orochimaru's eyes widened, also tightening his grip. "You're nothing without my daughter at your side!!!" Slamming Dokuja to the floor, Orochimaru didn't let go of his grip. He again raised him into the air a few moments later.

_You're right, _Dokuja thought, gripping Orochimaru's wrist with both hands. _I'm worthless when Markue-Rae isn't next to me. That is why… _Black chakra started to surround his body. _I will kill you to get her away from you're devilish clutches, if it's the last thing I ever do in my so called worthless, pathetic, unnecessary, piece of shit of a life!! _The chakra started to heat Orochimaru's skin as he let go before it burned his flesh. Dokuja slowly looked up after landing on his feet.

"Well, looks like I underestimated you're value of chakra. Not to mention that Phoenix sealed inside of you can give you as much as you want. Also that chakra can burn a man's skin and theirs only one antidote for it. Notto mention that it can only be found in the Land of Lightning, correct?" _I better be more cautious around this brat, _Orochimaru thought, watching Dokuja closely. _If I don't keep away from him when he's like this, I may not be able to defend against his chakra burning. I'll just have to keep my distance, and I'll be fine. I can't come in contact with him, or I'd be unable to move. Maybe I was wrong about this child. He may even be able to keep me occupied for awhile. But I doubt it! _Dokuja crouched down, ready to sprint. Orochimaru noticed this and stood prepared to dodge in a split seconds notice. Dokuja darted across the enclosed arena, leaving a trail of black flames behind him. Orochimaru leaped into the air, barely avoiding the oncoming charge. _He's faster than I thought! I can't keep this up! I have to drain this chakra somehow, but what can I do to get him out of this state? _Just then Dokuja appeared in front of him, throwing his blazing fist into Orochimaru's lower gut. Due to the impact, he was thrown into the booth's practically demolished roof and made a huge hole in the point of collision. A few seconds later the possessed Dokuja landed next to him. He gave out a lethal war cry as the Second Hokage sneaked up behind him, making a hand sign.

"Water Style: Water Shockwave!!" he shouted, spewing water from his mouth as a huge wave commenced to send Dokuja for a long loop across the barricaded arena. It did hit, but Dokuja didn't budge. Although, the black chakra that was surrounding him disappeared, and Dokuja was back to his normal self. Along with that, the First made a hand sign of his own.

"Secret Earth Jutsu:" he started. The Third called Dokuja over to him, and he was holding some sort of weapon that Dokuja had never seen.

"Dokuja, get over here now!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Dokuja, finally pulling himself together, darted over to him as fast as his feet could carry him. "Get ready Enma!"

"Deep Forest Creation!!" The First finished. As he did a few small branches started to appear around him and all over the arena as well.

"What the-

"Dokuja, speed it up!!" The Third didn't let Dokuja finish. He couldn't waste any time.

"Right!" Dokuja made a hand sign and focused some of his chakra into his feet for a burst in speed over to the Hokage in a flash. A huge amount of trees appeared from all over the arena, enshrouding the enclosed arena. It was so dense that the ANBU couldn't see anyone. The good news is that neither can Orochimaru. Standing next to the Third, the weapon he was using rapidly multiplied and made a cage around them. Dokuja gave a low whistle to the Hokage's skill. "Now that is sweet!" He said, literally amazed at this weapons ability.

"Thank you," A random voice said. Dokuja scanned around, but couldn't find anyone else besides the Third and himself.

"Who said that?" Dokuja asked all around.

"I did." The voice said again. Just then an eye appeared on one of the rods, starring at him.

"Holy!!!" Dokuja shouted, scared at what he just seen.

"Sarutobi, who is this kid?" The rod asked. The eye stared at the Third.

"This is Dokuja. Dokuja, this is Enma, The Monkey King." The Third introduced.

"Pleased to meet you." Enma said, again staring at Dokuja.

"Uh, same to you? I'm seriously in need of a head examination after this is over. I'm talking to a rod witch is claimed to be a Monkey King. What the hell is going through my head? Whatever, I heard about you before. You supposedly possess a large amount of strength."

"From what I've seen you do so far in this battle, you have quite an amount of skill yourself, taking Orochimaru himself like that is an astounding feet."

"Yeah, he probably cracked a few ribs, but I'm fine to go another round." Dokuja, cracking his knuckles, said without a second thought. He was eager to get back into the fray with the man he had a few 'issues' with.

"I see that you possess the Black Phoenix within you. It's almost unnatural for you to be able to wield its power without it taking complete control over you."

"I never thought of it that way, but I guess it is rather difficult. We better get back to commenting each other another time, we have three problems to deal with, and two of witch were already through and came back from the dead. The other…" Dokuja clenched his fist, almost stopping circulation of his blood completely. "The other one is mine and mine alone."

"I take it you had some encounters with Orochimaru before?"

"You'd be surprised."

"You've got a lot of spirit and pesrsitance. Not to mention you may be stronger than most of Orochimaru's men."

"I can take Orochimaru no sweat. I just had a previous encounter before him so I'm not exactly at full strength."

"I can't help but notice that sword on your back. It is the Scorpions-Tail is it not? I heard each of the two blades were linked to chains of an unknown length and by focusing chakra into the handle makes them move and able to be controlled at will."

"Yeah, that's true. Speaking of witch, I might as well attract attention to me by doing that very thing." Dokuja stabbed the blade into the large branch of witch they were standing on and placed his palm on it. "I guess I might need this as well. After all, the trees here almost make it impossible to see without it." Dokuja slowly removed his mask, revealing his Doshingan. Enma stared at him, understanding why he's in this fight.

_I see, _He thought, analyzing him. _So he's an Amaratsu, the only clan that rivaled the Uchia. The rest of his clan was killed in one of Orochimaru's sick experiments to receive their keckei-genkai. It is a visual like the Sharingan, called the Doshingan, it can copy jutsu and even modify them with another jutsu seen before to create new and more powerful jutsu. However there are numerous risks to this Dojutsu. However I heard once before that it can detect heat signatures fifty meters away from where he's standing. I guess he's attempting to see them by doing just that and hit them when their far away and they can't get to him. This kid is quite the assassin when you get to see his true power._

Dokuja, scanning with his infrared vision, searched the nearby area for Orochimaru and his undead followers. He looked left and right and finally found him to his left, twenty yards ahead. _There! _He thought, as the handle clenched tightly to the branch under him and the blades jumped out in front of him from underground. They both went in opposite directions as an attempt to surround them before attack.

Orochimaru, standing outside the dense trees, waited for any survivors to emerge and saw nothing. "It appears that did the trick. Now, its time for this village to…" He heard something moving in the brush. "Stand ready for anything." He warned, but was already too late to react. Dokuja's sword attacked the group of them with great speed and skill. It took all his concentration to keep up with its swift strikes. The two undead Hokage did as he was doing to dodge, but the second was multiply stabbed and slashed as he fell to his demise through the barrier and disintegrated before hitting the nearby ground.

"Well, the walking dead Second Hokage is done, but the other two are still standing." Dokuja told Sarutobi and Enma, disappointed due to missing his main target Orochimaru.

"One man is better than none. Good work." Enma replied.

"I'm going to try it again, but I'll keep the two blades next to each other and put some spin on it." Dokuja, blades retuning to him and starting to rotate violently, taking the impersonation of a drill, launched his second attack. Its power was greatly increased along with its control.

Orochimaru, still out of the miniature forest, noticed the Second Hokage was taken down and it was only him and the First Hokage standing. _That brat… He can see us and deliver a lethal assault in a mere instant, able to take out the Second in the first strike… He's more dangerous at range, especially hidden. I better shorten the distance between us or the next one to go could be me. I wouldn't die from that sword, but if I get sent through the barrier, it may be the end of me. _He heard another attack coming from the distance; witch was slightly louder than the first. It came in without remorse. The first had no time to react and was thrown through the barrier like a rag doll. It came back for Orochimaru, but he dodged it multiple times and eventually totally evaded it as it went back into the forest. _That attack both blades were next to each other, spinning rapidly to increase its destructive power and speed. He's not holding back. I better shorten the playing field!_

"Damn it, Orochimaru's still standing. The First is gone, but I just couldn't hit HIM…" Dokuja, frustrated as ever, said to each of them.

"Its fine Dokuja, I will finish this. You've done enough and were a great help." The Third replied, as Enma went back to his original state and the cage was lowered. Dokuja withdrew his blade from the ground when the chained swords returned to the handle.

"What do you plan on doing? You're almost out of chakra yourself. There may be only one man left, but that one man is still Orochimaru."

"I have a plan to take him out once and for all. Don't worry, just follow my lead." The Third sprinted forth as Enma followed. Dokuja wasn't sure what to do, so he followed close behind Enma as they head to confront Orochimaru for the final time of this bout.

Orochimaru, closely tuned in to hear another attack coming at him, waited for another strike to show itself as nothing came. _Why hasn't that brat attempted to kill me again yet? _He thought, not understanding the situation. _Is he out of chakra already or is he just trying to stall for something bigger? _He faintly heard something moving in the branches. _Guess I'm about to find out. _Getting into a defensive stance, Orochimaru braced himself for Dokuja's sword to come at him head on. Instead all three came out from the trees covering them as they stood side by side and faced Orochimaru. "A frontal attack? Is that all you have left? Surely this isn't the limit to you're ability, even as feeble as it is compared to my own. However, I congratulate you. Dokuja, you were always feeble to me. But this feat you shown to me just a few minutes ago impressed me. To take out both the First and Second Hokage with just two strikes is not easy."

"Who says I was aiming for just them? Either way, this is you're final day. You shall end here and now!" Dokuja shouted; eager to see what was up the Third's sleeve.

"I'd like to see you three try it!"

"Consider your wish granted. Ready Lord Third?"

"Let's not waste any time. All you have to do is hold him in place, and I'll do the rest." The Third prepared himself, along with Enma, in his regular state.

"I'll end this quick. All you three could do was give me a few scratches. Rather embarrassing, don't you think? The Third Hokage, Enma the Monkey King, and that brat with a sword that can literally move itself could only do this much? At this rate, Dokuja, you'll never get my daughter back." Orochimaru imitated them, especially Dokuja, as he braced himself from whatever was coming at him.

"I've had enough!!" Dokuja thrusted his sword into the ground and put his hand on the handle. "Time for you to die!" Dokuja focused his chakra into the handle as the blades tunneled under the building's rooftop and came out under Orochimaru, tying him up in tightening coils. "Lord Third, he's all yours."

"Very well." The Hokage made a hand sign. "Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal!!" Just then a bright light appeared behind him, revealing what he had summoned before for all to see. It was the Reaper itself. It had six arms and an odd jacket around him. In each arm he held a sword, each of them looking identical. It also had a pale purple skin tone, black teeth, and the darkest eye you've ever seen. Dokuja was somewhat startled.

"Whoa…" Dokuja said to himself. "I have to remind myself never to screw with the old man when this is all over. Enma, what the heck is this?"

"Sealing Jutsu: Reaper Death Seal is a forbidden technique that summons the Reaper, as you've seen already, and take a foe's soul down with the user." Enma replied.

"Wait a minute, does that mean…?"

I'm afraid so." Just then the Reaper gave a quick glance at Dokuja.

"Uh, what's the deal?" Dokuja stared back, watching closely. "Hello, whoever's awake please explain the situation to the confused comrade. No seriously, somebody please answer me!"

_Is it possible, _Orochimaru thought, also amazed. _Is the old man really trying to do THAT? He really thinks it would work on that brat?_

"Okay, now I'm just freaked out. Somebody answer me before I just go insane, okay?" The Reaper completely turned to face Dokuja. "Old man, here's a hint. What the hell is going on?" The Reaper charged at him with full force, lashing with all of his swords at once. Dokuja narrowly evaded the attack. "Holy!!" Dokuja jumped away from his sword, releasing Orochimaru as he just stood still and watched as the Reaper attacked his prey. Dokuja, still dodging lash after lash, made his way back to his sword so he could defend himself against his spiritual opponent's strikes. "Hello?!!? Old man, please call off your obviously killer jutsu that's trying to go medieval on me!!" Once he got to his blade, Dokuja withdrew it from the tile and cement it was thrusted through and held it with him. The Reaper was still relentless to cease his rampage. On one of his swings, Dokuja was in a perfect position to counter. "I don't know what your deal is, but you're through!" Dokuja focused his chakra into the blade as the chains wrapped around the Reaper's arm. It gave a ghastly cackle as it turned into a bluish aura and seeped into his body. Dokuja landed, thinking Orochimaru put him under some odd Genjutsu. "Did I just see what I think I just saw? Why do I think the Reaper entered my body somehow?"

"You didn't just," Orochimaru asked the Third Hokage, not believing his actions.

"Yes, I did." The Third replied, without letting Orochimaru finish. "I realized that Dokuja was the only living vessel for that use of the Reaper Death Seal. He is the only living Amaratsu, and therefore he's the only one that can hold the power in."

_That brat… He's that runaway from my experiments, many years ago. He somehow snuck passed the guards and retreated back to his village after I kidnapped them. I thought he was dead for so many years. No wonder he could fight me like he did back there. _Orochimaru thought, as the third continued on. _The final Amaratsu… I should have kept him under heavier surveillance; if I did he wouldn't be here right now. And I failed to realize this for this entire time…_

"Are you saying that the Reaper is now in me?" Dokuja asked the Third, not believing what's going on. "Then shouldn't I be flipping out on everything and anything right now?"

"It will take more time for the Reaper to completely flow through your system. Due to the time that has past already, it shouldn't be long now."

"Yeah, like I'll believe that in a few hundr- Dokuja felt a surging pain through his whole body, spreading and getting stronger every passing second. He fell to the floor in agony as the Reaper started to take over his body and combine with Dokuja.

_It's coming! _Orochimaru, shocked at it's speed of merging, thought as he went into a prepared stance.

"Sarutobi, what if Dokuja attacks us instead of Orochimaru?" Enma asked, hoping for a positive answer.

"Don't worry, the Reaper may take over his body, but it will still share Dokuja's feeling towards us and to Orochimaru. There's no question the even in this state Dokuja will attack Orochimaru and protect us." The Third watched as Dokuja went through a state of pain and mutation. His suit has changed from its usual black to a pale purple of witch matched the Reaper's skin tone. The red areas of his suit became black. A secondary rib cage appeared outside his body, along with spikes going down his spine and a pointed tail with a tip that looked like an arrowhead, also with spikes going down it.

_What the hell is he?!!? _Orochimaru thought, in astonishment. _He's a monster. A freak even. Another rib cage creating a layered defense of his upper chest. Not to mention those spikes and running down his spine and a tail with a point as if it were a long kunai. He's not the kind of opponent you find everyday, and especially not an opponent you want to fight at close range. But if I release the barrier now I'll have those ANBU after me as well. This is most likely the most dangerous situation I've ever been in. _

"_I sense your fear and desperation…_" Dokuja said, echoing the Reaper's own voice as he slowly stood. The Reaper showed his presence in Dokuja's body by slowly appearing in a cloak like aura, his detail the same as it was before he went inside Dokuja in the first place. It stood in the same way Dokuja did and mimicked his movements perfectly. "_You're quite the fighter as of what I've acquired from this vessels memories and thoughts. I must warn you, you can't beat me, and no matter what you try it's useless, futile. I will give you the chance to run now, or I will show no mercy on your pathetic, powerless life!_"

"I was in the mood for a challenge recently. The host you're in is rather weak in his ordinary state. I heard you're so hard to kill, you old buzzard! Come!!" Orochimaru lunged at him with full force.

"_Such a rash man. I told you that you will not leave this place alive. But yet you come to me in a frontal attack. How foolish…_" Dokuja and The Reaper disappeared in a white flash, reappearing behind Orochimaru as he stopped and turned around. Dokuja raised his arm slightly and swept it sideways, creating a large wave of pure chakra. It collided with brute force against Orochimaru and sent him flying backwards into a tree, witch was easily shattered as he hit the ground behind the new wood chips and smoldering ashes due to the pressurized chakra's intensity. "_My power is far above yours. I will slowly rip you apart, piece by piece until I can't even see your lifeless corpse in the palm of my hand!_"

Coughing, Orochimaru stood up to face his ghastly opponent. "You are amazingly powerful, I have to admit, but tell me, are you immortal such as I?"

"_You classify you're worthless body 'immortal'? How… insulting. I am immortal myself, and you're far from it!_"

"We'll have to test that theory, won't we?" Orochimaru stood straight up, staring his opponent down as each of them prepared for an intense battle.

Author's Note: I know, I sent this chapter in early, but I didn't want you to wait any longer, now do I?Pretty freaky, isn't it? Dokuja merged with the Reaper, but how long will it last? Will it be long enough for it to finish Orochimaru for good? Or will it dissolve in the heat of combat? Once I get three more reviews, you'll know!


	20. A Battle Of Two Demons! A Found Comrade!

"_I will only warn you once more,_" Dokuja, still currently merged with the Reaper, said to his opponent. "_You do not have the strength to survive my wrath! Leave now while you still can."_

"You miscomprehended your position," Orochimaru said, glaring back at him. "I'm here to destroy this village without mercy or remorse. That means the host you're in shall perish with it, no matter how much power you bestow in his flesh. I admit you may be a challenging opponent. I never had such a rush in years, and it's about time I finally get to come at my full potential. And for you to think I would just walk away? Over my dead body!"

"_As you wish. Now, I will show you my true power! Prepare yourself for your final stand in battle!_" Dokuja shouted, disappearing in a flash. Orochimaru looked in all directions, noticing Dokuja raining down from above, fist braced. He let out another lethal war cry as he descended and thrusted his newly clenched hand forward as Orochimaru blocked with his arms before the blow completely connected with him.

_He's swift on his feet, but slower in the air. If I stay airborne, I should be fine. However, if he finds out how to wield his sword in this state, I would be at a disadvantage due to the lack of mobility when I am in midair. But, it's not like I have much of a choice at the moment. _Orochimaru thought of a battle strategy as Dokuja came in for a second attack at blinding speed. It collided in a ferocious amount of force to his jaw as he was sent soaring backwards and hit the ground hard.

"_You really are weak… How disappointing. I was hoping this battle would last longer than just a few minutes. But it doesn't look like you've got what it takes to withstand my attacks. It cannot be helped. I will take your so called 'power' and raze it down to the depths of Hell!_" Dokuja, with the Reaper shadowing him like a mirror image, slowly progressed towards Orochimaru slowly. "_Look at the brighter side. At least you would be put out of your pathetic misery. It was no pleasure meeting you for your final breaths._" Dokuja grasped his flattened opponent by the neck and raised him slowly in the air. "_Destroying you was this vessel's only wish. Apparently you exterminated his clan, except for him. You left him stranded alone in the world and he was left to fend for himself. Also, you took someone that was very close to him. She was like a sister to him, and he did all he could to protect that very person witch was also his squad mate in the Land of Lightning. At least, until you took her away from him exactly six months ago. He exiled himself in the Forest of Death for that period of time. He was afraid to face the villagers after what happened then he stayed to make them think he was dead. Now, you will pay for your wrongs in his life!_" Dokuja let go of Orochimaru, letting him fall a bit before giving him a palm thrust to the gut, making him cough up a small amount of blood as he was sent backwards again, but he quickly caught himself and stood on his feet.

"That was quite a waste of a perfectly good chance to kill me. If you seriously want to destroy me, why didn't you? You worthless old buzz-"Orochimaru couldn't continue after feeling a sharp pain in his chest, and it was spreading rapidly through his body. "What? How is it possible?"

"_You really are pathetic._" Dokuja opened his hand, as so did the enshrouding Reaper did as well. The real news was in the Reapers hand. He was holding a handful of white beads. "_These beads paralyze all people who come in contact with it. And since I'm holding them_ _while inside this host, his hand will contain the same effect as these beads as well. You are now completely immobilized for the time being._"

_Damn it, He caught me off guard, and now I'm at his mercy. This man or demon isn't called immortal for nothing. Whenever someone comes up against him, he pulls this cheap trick to keep them at bay while he pummels them into a bloody pulp. And even if he didn't he's impossible to keep track of, let alone attack._

Dokuja stepped forward slowly, approaching his victim. "_I suppose using my one jutsu is in order, but since his bout was so short, I hope you don't mind if I have a little fun and games with it. After all, you are paralyzed for at least five to seven minutes. That's more than enough time to eradicate your worthless flesh after some extra pain is dealt on you. Don't worry; I won't get too carried away with it all. I'll just take my share of laughs, do the rest of my job, and leave this mortal's realm. It's time for you to feel my true wrath!!_" Dokuja, now right next to his motionless opponent, thrusted his fist into his face as he was sent backwards for a third time. Rapidly moving from his original position to where Orochimaru was flying, Dokuja prepared to follow up with another blow. He did as he wanted, with a kick to his helpless opponent's chin, send him upwards. He leaped up as far as he could and yet again prepared his next attack. This time he focused chakra into his right hand as Orochimaru quickly rose towards him.

_There's no way to stop him! I'll just have to endure the pain… Nothing left for me to do but just let destiny take its course. _Orochimaru was right next to Dokuja now. His fist flew through the air and landed in Orochimaru's unguarded chest, breaking ribs and damaging organs. The pain was unbearable as Orochimaru let out a scream or agony as more blood came out of his mouth. He was sent into a downward spiral as he whistled through the air at an unreal velocity. He hit the ground with a tremendous shockwave; witch could be mistaken for an earthquake or cataclysm. Dokuja descended and landed on his opponent for more pain to him. He kept on top of him as he punched him multiple times, knocking his head side to side. Once his face was practically battered, he picked him up again and made him stand, gripping his shoulders tensely.

"_This is…My final judgment. There is no hope for you left. You perish here and now!_" The Reaper's hand, but not Dokuja's, reached forward into Orochimaru's stunned flesh, seeping in and gripping part of his internal soul. He slowly yanked it out as its hand and part of his arm then became visible. "_Damn it, I took too long beating you to a bloody pulp, and I can't stay in this vessel for much longer. This kid is starting to lose power, and therefore hasn't the strength to take your entire soul from its shell. It seems as if you lucked out this time. But I do know your intentions in this life. You plan to master all the jutsu you can, and then grind this village into oblivion. Even though I can't bring you completely down with me, I can still end your feeble dream today. Prepare for your hopes and dreams to be crushed by the palm of my hand!_" The Reaper's hand, with Orochimaru's soul gripped like a rag doll, pulled back, revealing most of the hidden arm until about its shoulder blades as the soul gave a low screech.

"You wouldn't dare! How decrepit can you get you old buzzard?!!?"

"_Very, I'm quite the cheap fighter, but as long as it gets the job done it doesn't matter to me at all. I know this will gnaw at you for the rest of your days until you finally let yourself perish and fall to the depths of Hell where you belong._" The Reaper raised another arm with a sword in toe. Dokuja kept his hold on him as the spiritual blade cut through the arm of the now being devoured soul. "_The seal is now set. Your arms are useless to you now. And without those arms you will never form another hand sign. Ninjutsu is forever out of your reach._"

"My…my arms…" Orochimaru mumbled, as his arms turned into a deep black color and drooped next to his sides, utterly motionless.

"_How does it fell? Having extra worthless weight to lug around that you can't even lift a finger? I will never know, and therefore never care. You finally feel the same burden as many out in this pathetic mortal realm. Farewell, so called immortal brethren. May we meet again in the next life._"

"You devil!! Give me back my arms!!!"

"_Like I shall ever obey a wretch like you. I will see you in the next realm. I for one will not welcome you lightly. You shall fear me for the remainder of your unbelievably pathetic time in this 'Earth' as you call it. If we ever meet again, well… you better hope we don't!" _The Reaper then left his position of mimicking Dokuja, floating in the air and disappearing after twirling around in a circle as a flash covered them all. Dokuja returned to his original state shortly after, falling to his knees in fatigue after losing so much chakra maintaining that state for so long. He breathed heavily as he looked around. Orochimaru was still standing. Still alive. Dokuja was discouraged to see that. He then looked behind him and noticed Enma sitting next to lord Third. The old man was no longer with them. Enma quickly new what he was thinking.

"Dokuja, it's all right. You didn't kill Sarutobi. For the caster of the Reaper Death Seal dies after it finishes. You didn't harm him." Enma said, facing Dokuja. Those words soothed Dokuja's nerves. Orochimaru stared at his maker in hate as his worthless arms felt as if they were ablaze.

_That brat, of all people, did this to me. Sarutobi may have cast the jutsu, but he did all of the dirty work. He maybe, just maybe, is able to obliterate me, end my life as we speak. I best keep an eye on him, unlike the last time I thought that he was just an ordinary child. But for now… _"Sakon, our mission has failed. Release the barrier, take me back." Orochimaru said, disappointed in his failure. Sakon gazed into the arena, noticing Dokuja next to him, but the Third was dead.

"That kid, able to do so much damage to Orochimaru like that is definitely a man that we need to watch out for. It would be best if we fled now rather than risk our lives later." Sakon said, ordering his teammates to release the wall. Enma called Dokuja over to him, also fetching something out of his pocket.

"Dokuja, come over here for a second, I wish to give you something." Enma held it in his hand as Dokuja walked towards him. He held out a small bag witch was tied with a thick thread. "These are a special kind of food pill witch can only be found where I live at when I'm not summoned for battle. The energy carried within them is absolutely massive, and there are no side effects that harm the body. It should replenish your chakra to max and give you a small energy boost."

"Thanks, I'll need these quite a bit if I'm going to take out Orochimaru anytime soon." Dokuja took one from the pouch and lifted his mask up to take it. It started working immediately, and Dokuja felt like he got a second wind. "Man, what a buzz! I fell like a new man!"

"The amount I've given you is all that I could find. Only use them when you must, as in your facing death itself. I hope we meet again soon. Now, do the world a favor and get rid of Orochimaru once and for all. I'll prey that you don't ever fail to give him some good shots and prevent his sick schemes and experiments. It's time for me to leave. Farewell!" He disappeared in a cloud of smoke as Dokuja stuffed the food pills in his pouch. He turned around to see Orochimaru ready to flee. However, he hesitated when someone came up onto the roof beside him.

"Father, the Leaf shinobi overpowered us. I came to check on your condition after I seen the barrier co"- An old acquaintance started, but then noticed an old friend and comrade standing not too far away. He stared back, half shocked, but half relieved.

"Markue-Rae?" Dokuja asked, finally seeing his long lost comrade once again.

"Well, look who's paying a visit." Markue-Rae replied. She had a large scythe on her back, along with a jacket that dropped to her ankles. She also had bandages around her head, and only one eye could be seen. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Markue-Rae! It's not too late to turn back!! Leave Orochimaru and join us here at the Leaf Village! Please! For your sake above anyone else's!"

"Still trying to convince me to abandon my own father? You haven't changed much. I'll throw this one fact out to you, soak it in as best you can." There was a short pause. "I chose my path. Deal with it!" That almost killed Dokuja's heart as it stopped beating. "It's time for you to just leave me be. I'm happy with my choice. That's all that matters. It's time for you to make a choice for yourself: You could come with us and we can be comrades once again or you can stay in this wasteland and never see your true strength. Now decide. Choose your fate as I did six months ago. I know once you think about it for awhile, you'll make the right decision."

"Your wrong, Markue-Rae. I have thought about it all this time. I will never join that fiend. You do not know his intentions. He had my clan exterminated in a worthless massacre! Do you honestly believe that I would ever go on with a man like that?"

"All for the good of experimentation. He wishes to distribute all of the jutsu anyone wields to those deserving. Even keckei-genkai, such as yours."

"Now that's a bunch of bull-shit! All he wants is to learn all of those jutsu for himself and use it to obliterate everything on this planet!"

"That's a lie! Don't talk about my own father like that! Or do you want me to kill you where you stand?"

"That's enough, Markue-Rae," Orochimaru replied faintly. "He made up his mind. There's no point in trying to sway him otherwise. Even if you wanted to take him on, he would never harm you. If he were to take on either of us he would go for me hands down."

"That's suicide. How would he ever survive a fight with you?"

"He was the one that did this to me. He even broke through the barrier by himself, and no help from the old man Sarutobi. He's far above your league. If he get's much stronger he would probably be able to kill me. It would be a long shot, but it is possible." Markue-Rae, still not believing what she was hearing, gazed at her father's wounds. Many bones have been broken or fractured. Numerous cuts and blood over his clothing. And his arms…were as if they were dead. "Our mission has failed. It is time for us to flee this place. Sakon, let's get out of here." Leaping over to him, Sakon and Jirobo carried him together as they sped off out of the village with Kidomaru and Taiyuya coming after them.

"Not so fast!!" The leader of the three ANBU spectators jumped after him at a great speed, closing fast. But sooner then expected, Kidomaru made a hand sign.

"Ninja Art: Spider Web Net!!" He shouted, spitting out a sticky residue from his mouth. It took the form of a spider web as it caught the ANBU in a trap.

_I got to do something! _Dokuja thought, rapidly sprinting towards them as the ANBU fell. Markue-Rae realized his intentions and was in pursuit. Dokuja had a large head start and was closing in quickly.

_He's all yours kid, were out of this one._ An ANBU thought as Dokuja closed the gap between him and his lifetime enemy. Markue-Rae wasn't far behind him now.

"We got a straggler in range!" Kidomaru shouted up towards Orochimaru, alerting him of what was to come. He looked down to see Dokuja coming in for a rematch.

_He's relentless. Never knows when to just let his opponent flee. I'll give him one thing, he sure has guts. _Orochimaru thought, as the distance came to a thin stretch. Markue-Rae was still in pursuit as she came up next to Dokuja and gripped his neck tightly and breathed a deep green gas into his face, weakening him. She then kicked him to the ground again as she joined up again with her new comrades.

_Markue-Rae…_ Dokuja thought, weakly closing his eyes as he fell towards where the spectators sat during the finals, looking at his one and only friend in his younger life as she continued to leave. _What has he…done to you…? _He descended as he crashed through the tile roof and landed flat on his back on the cold floor, completely knocked out.

_Dokuja, _Markue-Rae thought, looking back at her older comrade. _If only you knew. I didn't leave you and the Cloud village because of a search of power or that I could finally be with my father again. I wish I could just leave, but something's telling me I should stay. The real reason I did this in the first place was so that I could get stronger and that you would acknowledge me. I felt as if I was pathetic, nothing compared to you. You were always one of the best in assassination and offense, but I always lacked those skills. I did this because I wanted to be of some help to you instead of dead weight like I always was. Forgive me for everything… I know that it's hard to believe but it is true. I regret the decision and just want to come back to you right now… but my father would never allow that. You've come far, being able to do this much in one bout with my father, none the least. I only wish that you could kill him so that I could finally come back. I didn't want my father to attack you just because I chose not to come with him. Then I know he would kill you without remorse. I miss you a lot, and I can tell you're going to do whatever it takes to bring me back. Don't give up whatever you do. I believe in you._

Once Markue-Rae and everyone disappeared, down in the arena Kakashi noticed Dokuja take his fall, and Kabuto warned him of something very important. "I would go check on him if I were you." He said, taking his fake ANBU mask off. "That gas that was sent into his system is highly corrosive. If he doesn't get proper medical treatment soon, his cells will slowly rot away to dust. I would take him to the nearest medical ninja as fast as your feet can carry you. His life is now at risk." Kakashi didn't like the idea of letting Kabuto get away over something like this, but it had to be done. He went over to where Dokuja was out cold and picked him up, taking him to the nearest hospital as Kabuto got away with Orochimaru and the Sound Ninja Four. Once they arrived, Dokuja and Kakashi were examined and Dokuja was put into medical treatment immediately. He was classified in critical condition.

A/N: I know I sent this one early too, but I just couldn't help myself. I guess I shouldn't really ask this much for reviews anymore, so I'll count on you to send something on your own from now on. Well, that was the last chapter of this segment. I may make a sequel, if you so tell me in your reviews. I assume you want to know what happens next don't you? Then what are you waiting for? Send a review to keep this fanfic going! (If I do make a sequel, look for this title: Dokuja Chronicles 4, 5, and 6)


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